Mohammed Kudus has admitted he wanted to leave Ajax because Everton offered him a great opportunity and he wanted to take it.
The Ghana midfielder said that he was dissatisfied with his bench role and wished to leave the Dutch champions during the summer transfer window.
The 22-year-old was impressive in pre-season, scoring four goals, but was relegated to the bench in the first four games of the season, playing only 29 minutes.
Kudus agreed personal terms with Everton and boycotted training just 48 hours before the transfer window closed in an attempt to force his departure, but Ajax stood firm.
“Everton offered me a great opportunity and I wanted to try it. No footballer wants to sit on the bench and neither do I,” Kudus said.
“Although I understood that not everyone can play all the time, Everton seemed like a good option at the time.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to train, but I’m human and had a lot to deal with in a very short time. The chapter is now over and I’m still here.”
Kudus has gotten more playing time since the failed transfer. He has started Ajax’s last four games, two of which have been in the Champions League, and has scored six goals, including his screamer against Liverpool at Anfield.
Kudus is currently in Black Stars camp in France, where the team is preparing for international friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua.
The matches are part of the team’s preparation for the World Cup.
Ghana will face Brazil in France on Friday before travelling to Spain to face Nicaragua.
Otto Addo’s team see these friendlies as ideal preparation games ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, where they will come up against Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea in the group stage.
