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"He wanted..." - Yorke reveals why De Jong turned down Man Utd and Ten Hag after speaking to Barcelona star

"He wanted..." - Yorke reveals why De Jong turned down Man Utd and Ten Hag after speaking to Barcelona star

Former Man Utd striker Dwight Yorke has revealed why Frenkie de Jong did not join the Red Devils last summer.

Ryan Smart

Ryan Smart

Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke has revealed what Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong told him about why he did not sign for Erik ten Hag's side last summer.

De Jong was the subject of a long-running transfer saga last summer, with Ten Hag wanting to reunite with his fellow Dutchman at Old Trafford. He previously managed De Jong at Ajax.

But speaking in a press conference in September, the 25-year-old revealed that he never wanted to leave Barcelona - a decision he took in May, before the transfer window opened.

United and Barca did, in fact, agree a fee for the midfielder, with personal terms the issue that caused the deal to be called off, as per the Daily Mirror.

Ten Hag did in bring in midfield reinforcements, signing Casemiro from Real Madrid and Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.

But De Jong certainly went down as a missed opportunity - and now Yorke, who won the Champions League with United in 1999 and scored 65 goals in four seasons, has explained why the move fell through.

Dwight Yorke on De Jong, Man Utd

Yorke managed the A-League All Stars side in May when they faced Barcelona, and the Trinidad and Tobago legend has revealed that he spoke to De Jong on the day.

Speaking to Premier League Odds, he explained: "I actually spoke to Frenkie de Jong when we played against him in the A-League All-Stars game in Australia.

"I have a little bit of insight, he wanted to see what Barcelona what become under the new guidance of Xavi and see how that panned out before he decided if he wanted to join Manchester United.

"But there is a Dutch connection with Erik ten Hag, De Jong would be a great pick because he's an excellent player.

"He would be the player that would fit into that midfield next to Casemiro and give us a bit more stability. Manchester United would have a very solid core to the team if he was to join."

United will be hoping to convince the Dutchman to move to Old Trafford this summer - although Fabrizio Romano has recently claimed that there are no plans for De Jong to leave Barca.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy / Pablo Morano/BSR Agency

Topics: Manchester United, Frenkie De Jong, Erik Ten Hag, Barcelona, Premier League, Transfers

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.