Manchester United have beaten Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea to the signing of Ajax wonderkid Millen Baars. The move was reportedly completed in October and now, the player’s father, Stefan, has confirmed the news.
The highly rated youngster is a winger and is even the captain of Ajax’s U-17 side. Arsenal and Chelsea were also desperate to secure the talented youngster’s signature with the clubs even inviting him to London to have a look at the training facilities. However, the youngster called off a trip to Arsenal as he was convinced of playing at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Noordhollands Dagblad, Millen Baars’ father, Stefan Baars said:
"We have had talks with Ajax that were between Millen and the club,But it was certainly nothing shocking, he was even appointed captain this season of the B1.
"Ajax is a great club with a very good youth, but they can unfortunately not cope so very well. You saw in the past with other youth players who now play at other clubs. But Millen was ready for a different challenge.
"He played nine seasons in Amsterdam and he has always had the dream to play football in England at Manchester United.
"There was interest from Italy, Portugal and England, but when he was at Chelsea and United to look, he knew he wanted to play in Manchester.
"He did not even see Arsenal, his choice was made."
A versatile forward capable of playing in multiple positions, Baars is touted to be the next big thing in Dutch football with many comparing the Ajax youngster to Arjen Robben. Just 16 and already standing at 1.84m, the lanky winger is capable of beating defenders with ease and is touted to be a future star at Manchester United.
Ajax have a long history of producing talent with their famed academy having produced world-class stars like Clarence Seedorf, Denis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert. However, they no longer remain the force they were and it is a worrying trend that their most talented academy graduates are being poached by top clubs across Europe.
On the other end of the spectrum, the move illustrates that the name Manchester United still has the pulling power it is still many a young player’s dream to play for the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
More Football news, transfer rumours, analysis and features at Sportskeeda.com. Also if you are attending a football game anywhere in the world and/or have a news tip for us drop us an email at football (at)sportskeeda (dot) com
