Krishnan Sreekumar
Ajax Amsterdam star Sebastien Haller plays down exit talks amidst Manchester United transfer links
Speaking to NOS Voetbal (h/t Manchester Evening News), Ajax Amsterdam striker Sebastien Haller has played down talks of an exit at the end of the season amid transfer links to Manchester United, where his manager Erik ten Hag is heading in the summer.
Haller has had a resurgence in Holland since his move to Ajax in 2021, rediscovering his scoring touch after turning out to be a flop for West Ham United. He was sold in the January transfer window that year, and went on to establish himself as the Amsterdam side’s first-choice striker.
His displays on the pitch for the Eredivisie side has seen grab the attention of United, who are in the market for a goalscorer. However, he refused to get carried away by the interest, saying that you cannot plan moves and that there was a difference between interest and an actual transfer.
Of course, there is interest from clubs. But I always say: interest is something different than an offer and a transfer is something else. If I’ve learned anything from the past, it’s that you can’t plan. We’ll see what happens or not.”
United have struggled for goals this term and have been overly reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo for supplying them, depending on the Portugal captain to win them games. Their other forwards have either been injured or out of form, which puts all the responsibility on the 37-year-old.
“I won’t follow him”
In good news for the English side, incumbent Ajax boss ten Hag is headed to Manchester in the summer to take over the club and usher in a new era of glory. He is expected to replicate the success he enjoyed in Amsterdam in the Premier League, and win trophies for his new side.
When asked if he would follow the Dutchman to Old Trafford ahead of the new season, Haller laughed off the suggestion and dismissed any potential exit from his current team. The 27-year-old said that he feels good at Ajax and in the city, ruling himself out of a move.
“Haha, no I won’t follow him. I feel good here at the club and in the city.”
The Ivorian was expected by some to follow the man that revived his career at his current club, but that no longer seems to be the case. As things stand, Haller is waiting to see who his new head coach will be, and take on a new challenge at Ajax.
ten Hag, meanwhile, will be moving to the Theatre of Dreams to begin work on improving the English giant’s performances on the pitch. He will also be tasked with the responsibility of breaking their five-year-long trophy drought.
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United could certainly have used a player like Haller on their side next season to lead the line for them and reduce some of Ronaldo’s workload. At the moment, Edinson Cavani sees his contract run out in the summer while Marcus Rashford has been terribly out of form to contribute up front.
However, the player has ruled himself out from a move to the Red Devils, which means that the team will need to look at new targets in the upcoming transfer window. Only time will tell if ten Hag manages to get a striker that he likes to lead the line for him next term. Or, if Haller’s words were just something to diffuse the situation right now.
