Ever since Manchester United confirmed they’d reached an agreement to appoint Erik ten Hag as their manager, they were linked with multiple players from the Dutch club.
The Red Devils were successful in reuniting Ten Hag with Lisandro Martínez and Antony as the duo arrived at Old Trafford from the Dutch champions. The Premier League side also showed interest in Jurrien Timber.
Manchester United were not able to convince the 21-year-old to leave Ajax, and he ended up signing an extension on August 18th. The Netherlands international’s new deal runs until 2025.
Earlier reports indicated Oranje manager Louis van Gaal had asked the defender not to join Ten Hag in Manchester. Algemeen Dagblad have interviewed the player, where he dismissed this suggestion.
“Many things came out were not right either. Such as the national team manager advising me against going to United,” Timber said, as quoted by FCUpdate.
“During the last international match, I spoke to Van Gaal. He did not say: stay with Ajax, because if you don’t make enough minutes, there is less chance that you will play at the World Cup. He said correctly, and I feel it myself, that if I make a choice, he knew I was going to make minutes there [United] too.
“You never know for sure, but that confidence I have too. You base your choice on that. The national team coach expresses his confidence in me. He does not say at all: beware of this or that club. You are talking about football, about clubs. He gives his opinion. I take someone who has been around for so long and knows so many clubs very seriously.”
The Dutchman admitted it was not the right time for him to leave the Eredivisie winners for Manchester United, even though it was tempting.
“I didn’t necessarily have the feeling that I was ready for it. We play in the Champions League with Ajax, I can still learn a lot in the Netherlands and there is still a World Cup coming up,” he explained.
“I still get enough top matches here. There is a lot of interest, yes, from several clubs. It was a busy summer. My agent Christopher Coffie kept me informed of the clubs that showed interest.
“It wasn’t just about all the clubs that were mentioned in the media. There’s a reason I didn’t leave. It’s because I think I still have plenty to learn here and I’m in the right place here. I have plans to come here to grow further. The Champions League was not necessarily a factor. It was more about my feeling.”
Timber will continue at the Amsterdam club until the end of this season and his intention is to make a move elsewhere in 2023.
“Deciding whether to stay or go was the most difficult choice in my career. I have only been playing in the first team for a year and a half. Having to make such a choice at 21 is not easy. Money did not play a role for a second,” the Dutchman stressed.
“Whether agreements have been made to make a transfer next year? That’s the intention, yes, but you never know how it will go. But that has been discussed well together with Ajax.”
