Ajax star reveals he did not have to leave Manchester City but received club’s blessing

Manchester City academy graduate and now Ajax star Carlos Forbs has revealed during a new interview that he did not have to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer.

The Portugal youth international established himself as one of the most highly-rated players to emerge from Manchester City’s youth academy in recent years with outstanding goalscoring statistics and an eye for goal rivalled by very few in England’s youth divisions.

Ultimately however, City’s attacking personnel in Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad proved too strong to break into, and Carlos Forbs finalised a permanent exit away from the Etihad Stadium during the closing stages of the recent summer transfer market.

Eredivisie giants Ajax confirmed the signing of Carlos Forbs in a deal worth up to €20 million, with Manchester City taking on 20% of any future profits that the Dutch club make on the attacker, as well as holding a buy-back option.

While the move to Ajax is unlikely to be one that Forbs regrets, despite their poor start to the new campaign, the player has revealed in a recent interview that things did not have to develop the way they did in the summer.

Speaking during a recent interview with Algemeen Dagblad, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Forbs revealed that he did not have to leave Manchester City in the summer but the opportunity to play regularly in senior football was too good to turn down.

“I didn’t have to leave, but in the summer, clubs came along where I knew I had more prospects,” Forbs explained. “The media made me big, but I didn’t really feel like I was getting many opportunities in Manchester. I didn’t know if that would change this season.”

The former Manchester City forward continued, “Of course, I already knew that Ajax focuses on youth. When I heard the plans, I thought okay, I want to try my luck at this club. A number of staff members at Manchester City also wanted to see me make the final step after ten years. 

“Me too, at the club where I grew up, just as it was my parents’ dream.  But I concluded that it was even better to take this opportunity.”

Across Forbs’ 12 appearances in all competitions so far this season for Ajax – including five in European competition, the rising star in Dutch football has registered a total of one goal and two assists.

After one defeat, two draws, and four defeats in their opening Eredivisie matches this season, Ajax find themselves languishing in 17th position and just one point from the very bottom of the table.

Things don’t get much better for Ajax in the Europa League either, with the Dutch side currently without a win in their group and sitting bottom behind Marseille, AEK Athens, and Brighton & Hove Albion.