Ajax starlet Brobbey reveals Ten Hag asked him to move to Old Trafford

Ajax forward Brian Brobbey has revealed he turned down a move to Manchester United and reunite with Erik ten Hag this summer in favour of boyhood side Ajax.

The 20-year-old striker claimed that he received a text from Ten Hag to see if he would be open to moving to Old Trafford, but rejected his former manager to seal a £14.7million move back to de Godenzonen from RB Leipzig.

Brobbey has been in fine form so far for Ajax this season, scoring and assisting from the bench in his third debut at the club against Fortuna Sittard, and has since started the Amsterdam club's following two games.

Brobbey told Dutch outlet Voetbal International: 'I absolutely wanted to go to Ajax. Erik also wanted to work with me, texted once if I was open to it, but I thanked him nicely. I wanted to go back [to Ajax]. My friends here, Ajax's playing style, it just wasn't finished yet.

'I first have to really succeed here as a striker of Ajax. That's also how the past six months felt, when I played here on a rental basis. I really had the feeling afterwards: I really have to go back.

'Believe me, in a few years I will provide a nice transfer fee for Ajax and then the club will have made a nice profit.

'There are more good players who play striker: Dusan Tadic, Steven Bergwijn, Davy Klaassen, Lorenzo Lucca. At the moment I am a basic player, but I just have to perform, with good play and goals. Then the trainer can't ignore me and I start in the team.'

The former Leipzig man emerged from the Eredivisie side's famed academy under Ten Hag, and went on to feature 32 times for the new Red Devils boss, scoring 13 times.

The Dutch league has been a regular hunting ground for the 52-year-old, having already brought in diminutive defender Lisandro Martinez from former side Ajax and left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.

But he has been less successful in signing a striker, with wantaway star Cristiano Ronaldo still set on an exit and making way for Marcus Rashford in the United's stunning 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday night.

United can currently count Anthony Martial alongside Rashford and Ronaldo in their attacking ranks, but with Ronaldo's future as yet uncertain, Ten Hag will be keen to bolster his options before the window closes.

So far this window the Red Devils have been linked with Mauro Icardi and a shocking transfer for Bologna's Marko Arnautovic as they seek to solve their issues up front.