Manchester United have been encouraged as Frenkie de Jong frustration increases at Barcelona.
United spent the majority of the transfer window chasing the former Ajax star in a deal worth £64million, only to end up missing out on Erik ten Hag’s top target because he was desperate to stay put.
De Jong has featured 10 times in all competitions for the Catalan giants this season, but the majority of those have been from the substitutes’ bench.
The 25-year-old is said to be ‘disgusted’ by the way Xavi has used him sparingly, says Sport.
De Jong opted to stay at the club and was led to believe that he would remain a regular – despite the club being open to selling him in the summer as they tried to offload his wages.
He was left on the bench in matches against the likes of Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Sevilla among others while starting games against weaker teams in LaLiga and in the Champions League.
De Jong wants regular game time at Barcelona but he is also aware that he has fallen behind young midfielders Gavi and Pedri in Xavi’s pecking order.
Xavi also does not view De Jong as a long-term replacement for veteran holding midfielder Sergio Busquets.
This could be a major boost for United with De Jong now said to not be happy with his situation in Spain – therefore potentially being more open to a move to Old Trafford.
