Ajax defender Mitchell Dijks has said that he would be a Norwich player right now if the club had been promoted to the Premier League.

Norwich announced earlier this month that they would not be exercising the option in their loan deal to sign Dijks permanently from Ajax.

Dijks signed for Norwich on-loan in January and impressed during the second half of the season in the Championship.

However, Norwich finished 8th in the league, ruling out a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

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It is believed that Norwich opted out of the Dijks deal due to a need to reduce the wage bill for next season, with the Dutchman on a sizeable wage.

Dijks has now claimed that if Norwich were promoted during his time at the club last season, he would have signed for the club on a permanent basis.

Speaking to Voetball international, Dijks said this:

If we had reached the Premier League, I certainly had stayed, but sporting was a moment for me to look further.

As a player and player, it was an enrichment to play at Norwich. I felt appreciated and could play my favourite game and develop me further. In my first weeks, I was immediately chosen as Player of the Month. The crowd in Norwich was great for me. As I jumped up and got into the corner they stood up a lot to clap. Even with a simple throw, everyone clashed. That valuation did a lot with me. During the last duels, the whole stadium I had to draw was sung. If I tell and remember this now, I’ll just get a goosebumps.