Ajax’s Christian Eriksen: I had trials at Chelsea but why go somewhere you might not play until you’re 21?

The Danish midfielder has revealed that he chose to join the Eredivisie club due to their tradition of handing opportunities to young players

Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen does not regret his decision to join the Eredivisie club as a teenager, despite spending time on trial with Chelsea.

The Danish playmaker, who will feature for Ajax against Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday, opted to move to the Netherlands instead of one of Europe's biggest clubs, believing that first-team opportunities would be more readily available.

"I always thought it would be better to go to Holland first, especially because of the position I play and the football I wanted to play," Eriksen told the Daily Mail.

"Ajax have a tradition of good football and play 4-3-3, which suits me. They also spend lots of money on youth players with the aim of putting them in the first team.

"Top sides in England have to get into the Champions League every year so they are not going to buy a 17-year-old and put him straight in the first team.

"They buy players who can play now. You might not get a game until you are 21. So why should you go there?"

Eriksen got a taste of English football during Jose Mourinho's time in charge of the Blues while still playing for Danish club Odense.

"I went to Chelsea twice when I was 14 and 15," he said. "I was at Danish club Odense at the time and came across with a friend to Cobham. We played against West Ham youth away and the year after we played Millwall away.

"It was a bit of a shock playing against Millwall. I knew the reputation of English football was tough but my first thoughts when we started were, 'Wow, this is different to Denmark'.

"They kicked a little more and made crazy tackles but I wasn't injured when I returned to Denmark so I guess I did ok."

Last year, Eriksen showed Chelsea what they might have missed when he starred in Denmark's narrow 2-1 defeat to England at Wembley.

"I liked playing against England because you had a 4-4-2 and there was space for me to go into between the defence and midfield," Eriksen continued.

"It was a big game for us, special. Maybe for England it wasn't. I had fun and decided to keep my own shirt as a memory of playing well rather than swapping."

Eriksen did admit, however, that he retained ambitions of joining one of Europe's elite clubs in search of Champions League success.

"You can learn so much from training with the top guys," Eriksen conceded. "You don't learn from playing against them.

"When it's time to leave Ajax, I'll try to go to a bigger team who do well in the Champions League every year and win trophies. But I'd make sure it was somewhere where I wouldn't just sit on the bench. Right now, my mind is only focused on Ajax."

At the forefront of his focus will be the two-legged tie against Manchester United, with Eriksen excited by the opportunity to impress against the English champions.

"When we were sitting watching the draw, we thought, 'Oh no, that's the team we wanted to avoid'," Eriksen admitted. "But now we're excited."

Man to Watch- Manchester United vs Ajax Amsterdam

   Christian Eriksen
                  The newest talent to emerge from Ajax and the target for major club's scouts from all around the continent, most importantly Man Utd, the Dane has taken it all in his stride. Determined to remain in the Amsterdam Arena, the 19 year old has the touch and match awareness of a player beyond his years. Making his impact on games clear last season, the Denmark international helped Ajax to the Eredivisie title, their first in seven long years.  On 23 May 2011 he was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year, the second Danish player to win the award since Jon Dahl Tomasson in 1996. He was elected by a jury under command of Holland's all-time best player Johan Cruyff. "He's a player I really like with all my heart," Cruyff praised Eriksen. "This prize is just the beginning, a stimulus to get the maximum out of his career. The talent is there, the recognition also; now it is up to the player himself. He is a typical product of the Danish school. You can compare him with Brian and Michael Laudrup. Only time will tell if Eriksen can reach the same level as them."


 On 18 October 2011, Eriksen scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League when Ajax beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the group stage, making him the 2nd youngest player to score in the 2011-2012 season. In the second match versus Dinamo Zagreb he provided two assists as well as being involved with a third goal. He was named Danish Football Player of the Year on November 7.
  
  Ferguson is well aware of the threat the youngster poses. "There's a lot of attention on the young kid, you know, the Danish boy," he told press last week, "We'll see what he's like and obviously everybody is going to be watching him".
   
   With the Danish football Player of the Year title,  a wonderful eye for goal, and an appetite for delicious passes, Christian Eriksen is the man to watch at the Amsterdam Arena this evening.