Brian Brobbey rules out January switch to Man Utd | OneFootball

Ajax striker Brian Brobbey has dismissed recent stories linking him with a move to Manchester United.

The 21-year-old Dutch marksman is enjoying a prolific Eredivisie campaign, having bagged 11 goals across 17 appearances.

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Brobbey subsequently finds himself two short of last season’s total, which remains his best return for the Dutch giants.

A graduate of the club’s esteemed youth set-up, all of his goals have come from open play, and the one-time Netherlands international has the league’s third-highest npxG (non-penalty expected goals) with 11.88.

In the race to be crowned as this season’s top scorer, Brobbey is currently fourth in the standings behind Luuk de Jong (15), Vangelis Pavlidis (19) and Santiago Giménez (19).

Brobbey is also on a hot streak, netting in five straight league outings, the best such run of his Eredivisie career.

It is a journey that began under current Red Devils boss Erik Ten Tag, but a reunion is unlikely to happen anytime soon, with Brobbey revealing they are no longer in contact.

“I know nothing about any interest from Manchester United. I read it on the news, but I am staying in Amsterdam,” he said following Ajax’s 4-1 win over RKC Waalwijk.

“I am not in contact with Erik ten Hag anymore. We used to text through WhatsApp, but I think Erik is busy. I have a new number as well, so..”

Brobbey is no stranger to leaving Amsterdam, as he previously had a short-lived but unfortunate experience at RB Leipzig. He signed with the Bundesliga team as a free agent in July 2021, but his arrival coincided with the sudden departure of their coach, Julian Nagelsmann, to Bayern Munich.

Brobbey played a total of 14 matches for Die Roten Bullen, out of which nine were in the Bundesliga. Although he couldn’t score any goals, the Dutchman managed to provide three assists during his time there.

After spending a year in East Germany, he returned home on loan. Ajax later made the deal permanent in July 2022, reportedly paying €16.35m to acquire his services.

Brobbey has arguably been Ajax’s most valuable player this season. He’s failed to score or assist in five league outings (the Amsterdammers losing three of those games) while missing one match through injury.

Since the arrival of interim boss John van ‘t Schip, he’s accumulated eight strikes through nine Eredivisie appearances while creating three further goals.

“As far as I’m concerned, Brian Brobbey is not for sale,” he said after their win on Sunday. “I actually have the ‘not for sale’ sign hanging around his neck.

“I don’t think it would be useful if he left now. But who am I to say that? I actually think that we are now working on making this group as strong as possible and Brobbey is a very important player for that.”

Ajax, fifth in the Eredivisie table, next visits Heracles on January 27.