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Daley Blind has said he rejected an "incredible" offer from Arsenal as a teenager. Blind, who joined Manchester United for £14.4 million last year, said he decided to stay at Ajax for far less money. The versatile Netherlands international, 25, said he had been impressed by Arsenal when he visited London but has no regrets about remaining in his homeland. "I had the chance to move to London at a young age," Blind told the Daily Mirror. "I was in the Ajax academy and one day I came home from school. My mum and dad said to me: 'Arsenal have called today. They want you.' "I thought they were taking the mickey. It was my dream to be a player in the first team of Ajax but we went to Arsenal. We were there for a day -- it was great. They offered to sort out everything for my schooling, so I could get my A levels. "They also offered me an incredible contract, especially for a boy of my age. Ajax offered me a contract too at the same time. The money was nowhere near what I could earn at Arsenal. My dad left it up to me and I decided to stay at Ajax." Blind went on to win the Eredivisie four times as an Ajax player before his former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal brought him to Old Trafford in 2014. He said he turned down Arsenal in a bid to emulate his father, new Netherlands boss Danny, who had captained Van Gaal's Eredivisie and Champions League-winning Ajax teams in the 1990s. "I let a lot of money slip away then, and I can understand why some players, whose families need the money, say yes to clubs of Arsenal's size," he said. "I said no, partially because I was lucky to have everything I needed at home. "The other reason I decided to say no was that secretly I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my dad, Danny. He had been captain of Ajax, won every trophy in the world with them."
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