Erik ten Hag has been appointed the next manager of Manchester United and now work will begin to try and acquire a number of players to help the Dutch manager succeed at Old Trafford. One player on United’s radar is Ajax centre-back Jurrien Timber. The 20-year-old defender was brought into the Ajax first team by Ten Hag and it seems that the manager is keen to reunite with him in Manchester. Multiple sources have stated that with two years left on his contract, Timber could still command a fee of around £43m, which United may deem attainable.
Since Louis van Gaal was re-appointed as the manager of the Netherlands, the ex United boss has made it clear that there are no guaranteed places in his squad. The most recent casualty has been Georgino Wijnaldum, who has lost his place with the Netherlands squad after failing to get regular game-time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Wijnaldum’s removal from the squad has caused a stir within the camp with players like Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay questioning his exclusion. Van Gaal, however, has sent a clear message however; get game time or lose your place.
As a young defender coming into a new league, Timber would obviously have his doubts about how long he would take to adapt to the faster pace and higher quality of the Premier League and also how this would affect his performances. This puts Ajax in a strong position to keep him this summer and they may even try to extend his contract in the meantime.