Hiddink Urges Heitinga to Give Fitz-Jim Extended Run in Ajax Midfield
Amsterdam, Netherlands – Former Netherlands national team coach Guus Hiddink believes ajax manager John heitinga should give midfielder Kenneth Taylor a sustained run of four to five games in the starting lineup, echoing a sentiment expressed Sunday morning on ESPN’s Good Morning Eredivisie. Hiddink contrasted Taylor’s situation with that of Declan Henderson last season, stating, “With Henderson, Ajax had a boss last season. We all criticized him in the Netherlands. We said he couldn’t do this and that well, but he was really a boss in the hierarchy.”
Despite the arrival of James McConnell, who is set to start against FC twente, Hiddink feels Taylor is a more suitable candidate for the holding midfield role. “He gives good passes and can also take the ball,” Hiddink explained. He further advised limiting Taylor’s responsibilities, suggesting he “stay in his midfield position and not do everything,” but emphasizing his potential as a leader, comparing him, albeit at a “slightly lower level,” to Mauro Júnior of PSV.
taylor, 22, was a regular under former ajax coach Francesco Farioli but has seen limited playing time under Heitinga. Hiddink acknowledged his own limited influence, concluding, “I would leave him for four or five games, but who am I.”
