Hoogewerf Reveals Why He Joined Manchester United, One Major Weakness In His Game

Dutch-born Nigerian striker Dillon Hoogewerf has revealed that he opted to join Manchester United last summer rather than signing a professional contract with Ajax Amsterdam because he was assured of a pathway into the first team.

In truth, compared to other Premier League clubs, the Red Devils have earned a reputation for promoting their academy stars into the first team, and the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood, Paul Pogba, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Scott McTominay, Axel Tuanzebe, Tahith Chong and Brandon Williams come to mind.

Speaking to Voetbal International, Hoogewerf said : "I want to debut as quickly as possible, that's why I went there.

"That's why I chose United. They came up with a good plan and the intention to make me debut at an early age."

The Netherlands U17 international admitted that defending is not one of his strong attributes and the games in England are more physically demanding compared to the Netherlands.

"In England it is more conditional and more physical. Defending is not my strength. If I can fight there and do what I did in the Netherlands, then I think I can handle any competition.

"Especially the matches are really tough. It’s different than in the Netherlands.

"If you play against a club from the second league there, you can still expect a lot. If you play against NAC Breda here, it is likely that you will win," Hoogewerf stressed.

The 17-year-old Hoogewerf has appeared for Manchester United's U18 and U23 teams this season, scoring 8 goals combined in the U18 Premier League, U18 Premier League Cup, Premier League 2 and FA Youth Cup.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : manutd.com