Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen believes he and Manchester City’s Nathan Aké set an example for Dutch youngsters, by leaving the Netherlands at an early age.
The full-back has been speaking to Helden magazine, relayed by Sport Nieuws, explaining how he feels the decision made early in his career worked out well for him.
Maatsen left his homeland for Chelsea in July 2018, joining the Blues’ U18s side in a €110k deal after playing for Feyenoord Youth, Sparta Youth and PSV Youth previously.
He’s enjoyed a steady rise since then, enjoying various loan spells at Chelsea with the likes of Coventry, Burnley and then Borussia Dortmund last season.
He became a Champions League finalist with them and subsequently joined Aston Villa in a €44.5m deal this summer.
Aké has walked a similar path, moving to Chelsea’s U18’s in July 2011 after spells with ADO Youth and Feyenoord youth.
He also had loan spells before going to Bournemouth in a €22.8m deal in July 2017, establishing himself as a key player over the following three years before Manchester City came calling to sign him for €45.3m.
He’s been a regular for Pep Guardiola since, winning four Premier League titles, the Champions League and several other trophies under the Spaniard.
His and Maatsen’s stories can be considered successful ones, and the Aston Villa man believes he and the Manchester City star have set an example for other Dutch youngsters to follow.
“It wasn’t necessarily better, more of an opportunity for a great adventure,” he said about the move early in his career.
“Playing for a club like Chelsea was a boyhood dream. I thought let me chase that dream and then we’ll see how it goes. I’m glad that choice turned out well.
“I have had lonely moments. At that age it was sometimes quite difficult to see friends doing fun things in the Netherlands, while I was alone in England. But then I told myself: this is normal. if you want to reach the top. If you have a dream, you sometimes have to give up things for it.
“When I was at Chelsea and was about to go on loan, I also spoke to Nathan and asked for advice. I asked him what he thought was the best thing to do, since I had no experience with rental periods, and he did. Just like Nathan, I have made my minutes everywhere and nowhere. That has helped me get to where I am now.”
