Man Utd January target reacts angrily to rumours

Imre Himmelbauer

• Updated: 6 Feb 2023 08:57 GMT
• 3 min read

Ajax forward Brian Brobbey was linked with a possible transfer to Manchester United last summer and again briefly in January, but now he finds himself in the headlines for a very different reason.

Brobbey has been accused of being a lazy trainer and that he wants to leave the Amsterdam club just six months after arriving from RB Leipzig for €16.4 million.

Ajax correspondent Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf recently reported that the attacker does not put enough work into training. However, according to Brobbey himself, none of that is true. He dismissed the stories told by Verweij as “nonsense”.

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Verweij previously claimed that Brobbey was sitting on the bench against Excelsior in a 4-1 win because he did not train well.

According to Valentijn Driessen, the now-sacked Alfred Schreuder had already complained off the record about the work done by the forward, who has an Estimated Transfer Value of €16m.

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Brobbey hits out at ‘nonsense’ rumours’

“It doesn't really affect me that much,” Brobbey told ESPN . “It comes from a man from De Telegraaf who always talks nonsense. Occasionally I have had conversations with Alfred when he told me he thought I could work a little harder. But he has not said that I do not work hard.”

Brobbey also ruled out that he wants to leave Ajax next summer.

“I read something in an interview that I might leave in the summer. All nonsense. Ajax brought me back for a lot of money. So I'm super happy here,” he said.

In the duel with SC Cambuur, a 5-0 win, Brobbey again started on the bench. However, the striker managed to make his mark after coming on in the 73rd minute: he scored his side’s fourth and fifth goals.

“When I come on the field, I have to show myself. I think I did that today. As a player you naturally want to play from the start, but at the moment I'm just trying to fight my way back into the starting XI by playing hard work and be important to the team,” he said.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old is likely to remain on the radar of Ten Hag at Man Utd – particularly if he keeps finding the net.