Manchester United are facing the possibility of an official complaint from Ajax after persuading one of the brightest prospects in Dutch football to move to England.

Gyliano van Velzen, a Dutch under-16 international, has turned his back on Ajax's famed youth academy and agreed terms at Old Trafford in a deal that has incensed the Amsterdam club.

Van Velzen, a tall, left-sided midfielder, initially informed Ajax in March that he had received an offer to move to Manchester, but the teenager was dissuaded from going through with the move and decided to stay with the 'B1' under-17s' team.

The issue seemed to be resolved until Van Velzen returned to Ajax a few weeks ago and informed them that his parents had decided they wanted to move to England to start a new life. The family, it emerged, had been offered a house in the Manchester area and Van Velzen, affiliated to Ajax since the age of 13, arrived towards the end of last week.

Ajax, renowned for producing so many outstanding Dutch footballers, are said to be "surprised and disappointed." They have written to United's chief executive, David Gill, asking for compensation and, if they are not satisfied with the response, they will look at other options.

One report in Holland has claimed they will file a lawsuit via Fifa, although it is understood they would rather settle the matter without having to take legal action.

The dispute bears similarities to the Paul Pogba case last year when Le Havre complained to Fifa that the 17-year-old had been illegally poached from their academy only for the organisation to rule in United's favour. After eight months of wrangling over compensation, the two clubs finally reached an undisclosed settlement in June.

A spokesman for United said that Van Velzen had been signed in full accordance with Fifa regulations. Their argument is that the player had never signed professional terms and, as such, was on the market. United asked Ajax on a number of occasions to provide evidence of a contract without one being produced.