Huddersfield Town defender Mathias 'Zanka' Jorgensen came close to joining Premier League giant Arsenal FC when he was just a teenager.

The centre back, who joined the Terriers from Champions League outfit FC Copenhagen in the summer, was even brought over to the capital twice by the London-based side when he was a youngster at B.93.

Zanka ended up choosing Copenhagen over the Gunners, but things could have been much different had he joined Arsene Wenger's side back in 2007.

The centre back told Yest Yorkshire Sport on BBC Radio Leeds : "I went twice when I was 15 and 16 or 14 and 15 - I can't quite remember.

"I had a trial and then went back and had five days with the first team just training.

"I was supposed to go over and play a first team match or a friendly match but that never went through.

"I actually had to come back from the airport because they found out I was suspended back in Denmark and there were some rules against it so it never went through."

He added: "I wasn't feeling that well in that period so I was lucky.

"Basically in the summer it was between going to Copenhagen the first time or trying my luck at Arsenal.

"They went and bought Harvard Nordtveit - same age, central defender - for a lot of and money and they were still in talks with me but not really sure and then I was like 'I want to go to Copenhagen'.

When asked whether he thought that may have been his only shot at a club the size of Arsenal, Zanka replied: "There was no doubt in my mind that I would get the chance.

"Because if you deliver for a club like Copenhagen - especially with the things that we were able to do while I was there - the success that you have and the things you get to experience as a football player mean you will get interest from other teams throughout Europe.

"So I wasn't worried about that.

"I was worried that I would never get the chance to play at Premier League level - the highest level of league in the world - because sometimes you need to break through, then have a breakthrough in a bigger league then if you're lucky have the chance to break through at a Premier League club.

"It's a different world because there are a lot of good football players running around out there and there are a lot of players who could be playing in the Premier League in my opinion, but you need that stamp."

And the defender believes he and many of his teammates have been given the opportunity to gain their stamp by Town, playing into the Terriers' underdog mentality.

"I think David [Wagner] has said that a few times before that that was a clear method when they were scouting for this season - to have some players that had a chance and didn't catch it the first time, but had that hunger instead of people who had been in that situation over and over again and maybe not succeeded.

"He would like to have players that, in one way you could say, are the underdogs."