Ajax actually wanted to sign ‘special’ Aston Villa player before going for Jordan Henderson

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Ajax were reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker before settling on a move for Jordan Henderson.

The 28-year-old Belgian international has been strongly linked with a move away from Villa Park this January, with Napoli believed to be interested in signing Dendoncker.

However, it now appears that Ajax were also keen on making a move for Dendoncker, with the Dutch giants actually weighing up a proposal to sign the Villa midfielder.

Yet according to Voetbal Nieuws, the Eredivisie side instead opted to sign Henderson, who left Saudi Arabia just six months after quitting Liverpool to join Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

Indeed, embarrassment aside, few would argue with Ajax’s decision to move for Henderson despite originally planning to sign Villa’s Dendoncker.

And with the Villa midfielder still yet to leave the Premier League side, Ajax might now be feeling that they might the right choice in bringing Henderson back to Europe from Saudi Arabia.

Ajax signing Jordan Henderson over Leander Dendoncker was the right move

Although Dendoncker has been lauded as ‘special’ by the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo, it’s pretty clear that Ajax made the right call in signing Henderson.

The former Liverpool captain is still at the top of his game and arguably could have made a move to a club like Ajax in the summer instead of tarnishing his legacy by heading to the Middle East.

And for Dendoncker, the Villa midfielder will be hopeful that he can secure a January transfer away from Birmingham heading into the final days of the window.

Whilst interest from the likes of Napoli is flattering, a deal is yet to be reached between the two parties, which could indicate that an agreement might take some time for Dendoncker.