Rafael van der Vaart has told Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong to accept a summer move to Manchester United.
The former Los Blancos playmaker was questioned about his views on where de Jong could be play next season amid growing rumours of a potential exit from the Camp Nou.
De Jong has consistently stated his preference to remain in Catalonia and re-establish himself as a key figure within Xavi’s plans in 2022/23.
Frenkie de Jong on his future: "I prefer to stay at Barcelona. I have said this before, Barcelona is the club of my dreams. Contact with other clubs? I do not want to talk about rumours anymore. I feel good at Barcelona. There is no agreement and nothing official." pic.twitter.com/DPmiMMcmXo
— Football España (@footballespana_) May 31, 2022
However, the links to United have continued to grow, with former boss Erik ten Hag keen on a reunion at Old Trafford in the coming weeks.
Van der Vaart claimed a move to England could reignite de Jong’s static progress and benefit the Dutch national team ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
“If I were Frenkie I would go to Manchester United”, he stated as part of an interview with Dutch outlet Ziggo Zport Voetbal, reported via Marca.
“It would be ideal. You have a manager who knows exactly what you can and cannot do. United still need a bit of quality.
“There are players at Barca who do the same, and maybe be better than him, or have performed more.
“As long as those players are also at Barca, he is out of place there. At United he could play more like with the Dutch team.”
