Ajax star reveals why he snubbed Ten Hag reunion at Man Utd

Milan Keskin

• Updated: 13 Jan 2024 13:09 GMT
• 3 min read

Brian Brobbey returned to Ajax permanently in the summer of 2022 after a failed adventure at RB Leipzig.

However, the attacker from Amsterdam also had the option to follow Erik ten Hag to Manchester United but consciously chose to head back to the Netherlands.

"I was promised that no new striker would be brought in and suddenly there was Sébastien Haller, the most expensive [Ajax] purchase ever," Brobbey said, reminiscing about his departure in De Telegraaf.

"I didn't mind that so much. But being told that, in principle, I would not get around to playing made me angry."

Disappointing Leipzig stint

The attacker had an expiring contract and was charmed by RB Leipzig's project: "Julian Nagelsmann had such a good story that I honestly thought I would get minutes at Leipzig. But even before the season started, Nagelsmann and the technical director who had fetched me, Markus Krösche, were gone."

His stay at RB Leipzig was anything but a success. After only six months, Ajax brought the striker back to Amsterdam on a loan basis and then signed him permanently in the summer of 2022 for an amount of €16.3 million.

A fair amount. Especially considering the fact that Brobbey had left on a free transfer less than a year earlier. Yet the striker makes a promise: “I promise everyone that Ajax will make a profit on me."

Manchester United snub

In addition to Ajax, Brobbey also had the option to follow Ten Hag to Manchester United. The pair obviously knew each other from their time at Ajax.

But Brobbey did not see any value in such a move: “Manchester United wanted me, but I really wanted to return to Ajax permanently. To make that possible, my agent José Fortes Rodriguez even waived his hefty resale percentage."

At one point Ajax seemed to overplay their hand, so Ten Hag saw his opportunity: "Erik ten Hag called me and at United, José could have received his millions of euros and I could have earned my Ajax salary several times over."

"But our decision was made: we wanted to go to Ajax." Brobbey eventually signed a contract with Ajax until 2027 but is once again being linked with a move to Old Trafford.