Former Liverpool defender Ki-Jana Hoever has been speaking about his early career in his native Netherlands.
The 19-year-old, who currently plies his trade for fellow Premier League side Wolves, was called up to represent the Oranje’s U21s during the most recent international break.
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While back in his homeland, Hoever gave an exclusive interview to Voetbal International in which he discussed his time at Anfield and Ajax.
“What would have happened if I had stayed at Ajax? Where would I be then? I made that choice once when I was 16 and [joining Liverpool] was the best thing for my development at that time,” the youngster mused.
“I have never regretted it for a moment. In retrospect you can say that if I had stayed with Ajax, I would now be competing with [Noussair] Mazraoui or whoever. You don’t know.
“I hadn’t thought about [the first-team] at all, I wanted to go to the U19s as soon as possible.
“I was surprised that I was offered a contract by Ajax, because I had the feeling for some time that I was not appreciated how I thought I should be valued.
“The fact that I made my debut in Liverpool six months later also says that I was ready for the U19s of Ajax, I think.”
Hoever’s recent comments show that he is an ambitious player who is prepared to make sizable steps if it gets him closer to his goal.
Leaving Ajax – and eventually Liverpool – in pursuit of more regular action at a level he believes he deserves to be playing has proven to be sensible for the full-back.
Between 2018 and 2020, the Wolves man made a total of four senior appearances for the Reds, but was a regular fixture for the U19s and U23s.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold’s meteoric rise and Neco Williams’ emergence, it was becoming increasingly unlikely Hoever would get many chances to break into Liverpool’s senior team and so he pushed for an exit.
The 19-year-old signed for Wolves last summer, making 12 Premier League appearances in his debut season and is proving to be worthy competition for Nelson Semedo.