Erik ten Hag overlooking glaring Man Utd issue with Frenkie de Jong pursuit

Manchester United appear to be devoting the majority of their time, effort and resources to trying to persuade Frenkie de Jong to join the Red Devils from FC Barcelona this summer.

Efforts to convince Barcelona to sell and the Netherlands international to leave have so far failed to deliver United's desired outcome. Whilst talks are ongoing, De Jong hardly inspired confidence when he addressed rumours earlier this month.

Asked what he made of United's intense interest, the ex-Ajax midfielder explained: "You're always flattered when teams show interest in you as a player but I am at the biggest club in the world at the moment and I feel fine there, so no news."

The comments would have made for unwelcome reading from a United viewpoint, but it also may offer the chance for the club's fans and hierarchy alike to look at the rest of the summer transfer window with some perspective. As talented as De Jong is, there is the glaring issue that he doesn't actually solve United's most obvious issue.

Defensive midfield has long been an area where many have urged United to strengthen. Plenty of players from other clubs have long been linked with that role in the Red Devils midfield, from Declan Rice to Kalvin Phillips - yet those rumours have gone quiet since the current window opened earlier this month.

This is largely due to the fact United seem so intent on making De Jong their priority midfield signing. It could be a decision that comes back to haunt them, even if they eventually bag the 25-year-old's signature.

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Some of the most humiliating performances of United's modern history came last season against the likes of fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester City - the former drubbing them 5-0 on their own turf.

In that game against Jurgen Klopp's rampant Reds, United's midfield were decimated defensively as Mohamed Salah and co. ran riot. Current defensive midfield pairing Scott McTominay and Fred both came in for some serious criticism in the wake of that defeat.

Their showings were eerily similar to another defeat at the hands of Liverpool at the tail-end of the 2020/21 Premier League season. After that particular loss, United legend Roy Keane was scathing in his assessment of the aforementioned duo.

"I just look at the performance of the two midfielders tonight, McTominay, he's a good honest player," Keane told Sky Sports. "They've got Fred - as long as them two are playing in midfield for Manchester United, they will not be winning big trophies."

Nearly two years on, the pair remain United players with seemingly little urgency to replace them with superior options. Money spent on De Jong could detract from funds that could be otherwise used on a more reliable defensive midfield solution.

The recent departure of Nemanja Matic has only heightened United's need to add both quality and depth to their defensive midfield. With more than two months left of the window, there is still time to change course.