Louis van Gaal has rubbished suggestions that he directly told Ajax defender Jurrien Timber to avoid joining Manchester United ahead of the summer transfer window.
Following Erik ten Hag's appointment as manager at Old Trafford, United were almost immediately linked with a move for the versatile defender. Ten Hag had overseen his development in Amsterdam and his stock was high after winning Ajax's Talent of the Year award last season.
United quickly identified Timber as their leading defensive target, but were forced to switch their focus to Lisandro Martinez after it became clear that the former would not be leaving the Johan Cruyff Arena. The decision was made not too long after former United manager Van Gaal, now in charge of the Netherlands national team, warned Timber that he should refrain from joining the Reds because it could impact his development and amount of regular minutes ahead of the World Cup.
