Ajax forward Brian Brobbey has revealed that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag contacted him about a potential move to Old Trafford in 2022.
Brobbey enjoyed two successful stints under the management of Ten Hag at Ajax – during the 2020/21 season prior to a transfer to RB Leipzig, and then again on loan in 2021/22 after his move to Germany hadn’t gone to plan.
Brobbey enjoyed a particularly fruitful campaign in 2021/22 under Ten Hag, scoring seven goals in 11 Eredivisie appearances after returning to Amsterdam during the winter transfer window.
90min reported back in 2022 that, following the expiration of his loan and subsequent return to parent club RB Leipzig, Manchester United had held an interest in the striker’s services and that Ten Hag had reached out in order to gauge willingness to move to Old Trafford.
In an interview with Der Telegraaf, Brobbey has now confirmed that Ten Hag did indeed ask him to reunite in Manchester. However, he opted for a permanent return to Ajax instead.
“Erik ten Hag called me and said that at United, my agent would get millions of euros and I could earn a multiple of my Ajax salary. But our decision was clear: we wanted to go to Ajax,” Brobbey revealed.
“Manchester United wanted to have me, but I insisted on returning to Ajax. To make that possible, my agent Jose Fortes Rodriguez even waived a hefty percentage of the sell-on clause.”
The striker signed a five-year deal at the Johan Cruyff Arena instead of joining Ten Hag at Old Trafford, with Ajax agreeing to part ways with an initial €16.35m to acquire his services.
A report from the Daily Mirror suggested that Brobbey is once again back on the radar ahead of Anthony Martial’s impending summer exit. The underperforming French forward’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season, and Brobbey could be considered a potential replacement.
