Ajax youngster Anass Salah-Eddine has revealed he could have joined Manchester United earlier in his career, but instead decided to join the Dutch giants because of their ability to develop young players.
That’s according to the player himself, who has revealed how he could have ended up at Manchester United had things worked out differently for him.
Salah-Eddine has been with Ajax since a move from AZ Juvenil in 2008 and been working his way up the various youth ranks since, playing for the U17s, U19s and Ajax B before making it to the first team this season after a loan spell at FC Twente.
He’s been slowly establishing himself at first team level this season, making 12 appearances in all competitions so far and managing one goal and two assists in 528 minutes despite featuring predominantly as a left-back.
He’s very much a name to keep an eye on moving forwards, particularly as Ajax look to focus on youth development once again following a disastrous few years in the transfer market.
Whether he becomes the latest star to come from their academy remains to be seen but things could have been very different anyway, as he was once close to Manchester United.
“They were really good at guiding young players, it was not just football, but also outside of school, sleeping, nutrition, basically everything,” he said, relayed by Voetbal Nieuws, regarding AZ Juvenil.
“(Ajax) was a level higher than the rest of the Netherlands, that’s why I took that step.
“At that age I wasn’t pushed. It was more like, what is best for you. I was close to going abroad, to Manchester United.”
