Ajax winger reveals why he snubbed Manchester United after trial

Danish winger Lasse Abildgaard claims he turned down the opportunity to join Manchester United after a trial with the club last season.

The 17-year-old was invited to Carrington so that United coaches could cast an eye over him but says he turned down the opportunity to sign for the club after being advised to join Ajax instead.

Rather than linking up with compatriot Christian Eriksen at Old Trafford, the talented teenager left Silkeborg to join the club where Eriksen made his professional breakthrough.

Abildgaard has been a key player for Ajax at U17 level since he joined last summer and it will be interesting to see whether or not he goes on to make United rue the missed opportunity of signing him.

“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,” teenager Abildgaard told Tipsbladet.

“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."

“I also went to trial training down there [United] to see what it was like, and we ended up making the decision that it was the best for me.”