Man United 2-1 Barcelona: Frenkie de Jong received special treatment from Manchester United at Old Trafford. Spanish media were divided about the performance of the Barcelona midfielder, which Erik ten Hag would have liked.
For De Jong it was a duel with an extra meaning. The midfielder entered the Europa League at the stadium, with which he had been so often associated last summer. That transfer did not take place. He preferred a longer stay at Barcelona to a move to Manchester United. With that, Erik ten Hag’s wish also remained unfulfilled.
“At Old Trafford, the Theater of Dreams, De Jong did not have the performance he had dreamed of,” El Mundo Deportivo wrote. “He wanted to excel and prove himself to Ten Hag. He wanted to show that his choice was the right one. But Ten Hag emerged as the winner.”
Fred’s marking of De Jong
The Dutch coach had a special plan to prevent De Jong from getting into his game. “It was Fred’s job to stop Frenkie. He had to hang around him like a fly. And he did,” they added.
In Diario Sport, the performance of the Orange international was assessed as meagre. “In the second half it went less when the pace of the match went up,” wrote the Catalan sports newspaper at the 6 for De Jong.
Diario AS saw a changeable De Jong at Old Trafford. Their report read, “He alternated very good actions with lesser ones. In the end it turned to the positive side. Ten Hag will certainly insist on bringing him to Manchester this summer.”
MARCA was very pleased with the performance of the Dutchman. “What a game he played!” was the beginning of a hymn to De Jong. “Ten Hag previously requested the signature of the former Ajax player. After this performance, he will have to talk to the club management to demand the arrival. Fortunately for Barcelona, De Jong does not want to leave,” it added.
Xavi will be happy with that too. The Barcelona coach ranked De Jong among the stars of the evening at Old Trafford. “He and Busquets were fantastic,” was their conclusion.
