Manchester United missing out on Frenkie de Jong AND Benjamin Sesko to Chelsea would be a sign of just how far the club has fallen.
There would have been a time not too long ago when the chance to join United over Chelsea was a no-brainer. The Blues have obviously enjoyed huge success over the past 18 years but still, Old Trafford was always a magical place where players would dream of plying their trade.
However, times have changed now. Erik ten Hag has a truly seismic task on his hands if he is to bring the glory days back to United. There has been no direction at the club over the past decade or so.
There hasn’t been a footballing philosophy adopted from the youth ranks up to the senior team, much like there is at Manchester City.
The recruitment at United has been quite simply atrocious since Sir Alex Ferguson left. We have to say, we’ve been totally underwhelmed by the business conducted by Ten Hag so far this summer. And it seems as though United’s summer could be about to get even worse.
Manchester United could lose out on two key transfer targets to Chelsea
According to the latest round of reports, United face missing out on two key Ten Hag targets to the Blues this summer.
Frenkie de Jong is allegedly keen to join Chelsea from Barcelona (Metro) whilst Benjamin Sesko is apparently considering an offer from the Blues (SportKlub).
The Dutchman and the Slovenian are two hugely talented players and United missing out on both of them to Chelsea would be a massive blow for Ten Hag.
De Jong would be a truly stunning addition for United. Holland and Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman once described de Jong as ‘exceptional’.
He bagged three goals and three assists in 32 La Liga games for Barca last season. During those appearances, the Dutchman made 51.2 passes on average per game and recorded a mightily impressive completion rate of 91.3%.
The 44-capped Holland international is highly energetic, cool and composed when in possession and a brilliant passer of the ball. He has the quality needed to dictate the tempo of the game and would add so much to the United squad.
Meanwhile, Sesko would be a sensational addition for United and he would certainly be a better fit for Ten Hag’s system and playing style than Ronaldo.
The Slovenia international stands at 6ft 4in tall, is incredibly strong in the air, has impressive technical ability and is very quick along the ground. The young Slovenian has bagged 43 goals and 15 assists in 95 career games to date. Not bad for a 19-year-old!
Long and hard season ahead for United
Ten Hag has around three weeks remaining to bring in the players he needs to help take United to another level.
The problem for the club at the moment is that it seems as though it’s really hard to convince the very best players in the world to move to Old Trafford.
Sesko and De Jong certainly fit into that category. The RB Salzburg forward could cost around £42 million (SportKlub) whilst the Barcelona midfielder is valued at £63 million (The Express). £105 million for those two players sounds like fantastic value to us.
If Chelsea win the race for both players, United could be destined for yet another season of misery. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Read also: Manchester United reportedly could sell 28-year-old for just £8 million.
Stats via Transfermarkt and Who Scored.
