Jurriën Timber: ‘Can I develop even further at Ajax’ | Football

sport">Timber is under contract with Ajax for another two years. The champion from Amsterdam would like to upgrade and extend his contract. But the central defender has not yet made a decision about his future, he says just before a training of the Dutch national team. “I am now focusing on the upcoming international matches and then go on holiday. Then I’ll have to think about it some more.”

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sport">Trainer Erik ten Hag would like to take Timber to Manchester. According to many English media, United has more than 40 million left for the international of the Dutch national team. After a strong season with Ajax, the defender is on the radar of several top clubs from Europe. “In the end, my gut feeling will be the deciding factor,” Timber said of the decision he must make about his near future . “The picture has to be right. You can go to a big club. But if you’re not going to play there, it’s better to stay with Ajax. And Ajax is also a big club. We play football in the Champions League and I play there together with the best players in the Netherlands. That is not nothing.”

sport">The mandekker realizes that things have gone very fast in the past year and a half. “I still don’t really realize it. It’s not finished yet, now I’m focusing on Orange again. Looking back will come later, probably during my vacation.”

No De Bruyne

sport">Kevin De Bruyne, one of Belgium’s star players, said on Monday that he has absolutely no interest in Friday’s game against the Orange and the three subsequent matches in the Nations League. He’s longing for a vacation after a long season with lots of grueling matches. “But I’m not De Bruyne,” Timber laughs. “I think it’s an honor to be part of the Dutch national team. I also want to show myself to the national coach. And there is also a World Cup coming up. We are preparing for that.”

sport">If the omens do not deceive, then the Dutch national team will play with three central defenders in the global final round at the end of this year in Qatar. That increases the chance of a basic place for Timber, although he has formidable competitors with Virgil van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt. “I think I should focus on the rightmost position in the center of the defense,” says the Ajax player. “That’s where I come into my best in this system.”

sport">Timber was the only player in the Eredivisie to see more than 90 percent of his passes arrive last season. “Those are great statistics,” he says. „But I sometimes felt that it was my first real season with Ajax 1. I have learned to play with aches and pains and I have started to perform more consistently. But I want to develop further. For example, I am not the tallest. That’s why I train a lot on jumping, because I want to learn to head better. It is also a challenge to perform fairly consistently season after season. Getting better from a standard level. That is my goal.”

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