Owen Wijndal says that his desire to play for the Netherlands at the World Cup played a big part in his decision to join Ajax.
The Amsterdam club have been linked with the left-back for a long time and finally secured his signature this summer, signing him from AZ for €10 million.
At AZ, he was unable to secure a place in the Netherlands starting XI or squad, with Daley Blind and Tyrell Malacia being preferred by Louis van Gaal.
He admits that his desire to change that is largely why he decided to join Ajax.
“I want to play a lot here and show how good I am. Maybe not all supporters know me that well,” he told AD.
“Participating in the World Cup with the Dutch national team is also one of the reasons why I made this choice. If I play here, I think it’s even more likely that I’ll go to the World Cup.”
Indeed, Van Gaal himself recommended that the 22-year-old join the Eredivisie champions.
“He had already let me know that he thought it was a good choice,” he added.
“In a message, he congratulated me and gave me tips on how I could improve. About switching to defending, that I had to keep a close eye on that.
“So I said, ‘Thank you coach, I hope we win the World Cup together.'”
GBeNeFN
