Manchester United failed to land a Danish wonderkid last summer because he preferred to go and play for Ajax instead.
Lasse Abildgaard caught the eye of a few top European clubs before leaving Silkeborg in Denmark to sign for Ajax on a three-year contract last summer. The 17-year-old winger had trials with United, Ajax and RB Leipzig before deciding which club to leave his homeland for.
"I went to trial training down there [at Manchester United] to see what it was like," Abildgaard told Danish newspaper Tipsbladet. "We ended up making the decision that it was the best for me [to join Ajax instead]."
Young players often go on trial at many clubs as a way to get a taste of what they can offer before deciding on which to join. In the end, Abildgaard chose Amsterdam over Manchester because he believed the club would be better for his development after coming through Silkeborg’s academy.
"It is of course great to be allowed to join such a club, and to be good enough for such a big club to believe in you,” he said. "Every day you come in, there are expensive cars, you see the Ajax logo, there are [security] guards outside, there are a lot of training sessions.
"It’s just great to put on the Ajax training clothes every day. I heard about [Ajax’s] interest a long time ago. And then it was like just a process between the club and my family and my advisor about how it should go, and things like that."
Abildgaard is a left-footed right-winger who is comfortable cutting inside off his flank to shoot at goal. “I’m a small player and a very creative player and left-footed. I am good at making passes, dribbling and shooting,” he told the club website upon signing in July.
He comes from the same village in Denmark that former Ajax striker Kasper Dolberg hails from. Abildgaard name-checked United midfielder Christian Eriksen as someone that he aspires to be like, as well as fellow Danes and ex-Ajax players Viktor Fischer, Lasse Schone and Nicolai Boilesen.
Abildgaard is not the first and won’t be the last young talent that United have missed out on. Another came to pass in February when Tottenham paid £8.5million to sign Lucas Bergvall from Swedish side Djurgarden.
Bergvall had been on trial with United on two occasions, but they passed up the chance to sign him along with Juventus and Bayern Munich. He has now chosen Tottenham for the next step of his career, with the north London club beating Barcelona to the punch in negotiations.