Dutch striker Dani van der Moot has spoken of his regret at turning down an offer from Liverpool as a youth.
The 22-year-old now plies his trade for Rijnsburg Boys in the third tier of Dutch professional football.
However, he turned out for the academies of AZ and PSV and revealed that he even had an offer from Liverpool while with the former.
“If I regret something, it is that I let Liverpool go,” Van der Moot told Elfvoetbal.
“There were more clubs from abroad with interest, but Liverpool was the most concrete. I visited [with] my parents for a day and was given a tour of the stadium, complex and city. They showed me what I could expect if I started playing soccer and living there. A beautiful day and a wonderful memory forever.”
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Instead, the forward chose to join PSV at the age of 15 and his promising career tailed off, being loaned out to Utrecht in the 2016-17 season before leaving the club on a free a year later.
He joined Volendam in January but moved again to Rijnsburg Boys last month and has found form, hitting four goals and recording three assists in just five league appearances.
“I was a great talent in my youth. It's hard to say why I didn't make it,” Van der Moot continued.
“It has been coincidental. I have had injuries at nasty moments, and I have also played 40 games for Jong PSV, but only scored six or seven goals. I didn't do that well either. They were mentally difficult years, which luckily lie behind me. In retrospect I might have stayed at AZ but switching to PSV was the best option for me with the knowledge and feeling of the time. So I don't regret it.
“I will probably follow a Spanish course. A language that I can use a lot later. Maybe even for my football career, because if I have learned something in recent years, a career can go crazy.
“I have learned that you cannot plan in football. You are as good as your last game and I have to make sure that I stay as consistent as possible.”
