It is up to Remko Pasveer himself whether he remains Ajax’s first goalkeeper, says Stanley Menzo. According to the former goalkeeper of Ajax, among others, the current first keeper of the Amsterdam club also knows that André Onana is the better of the two. Onana made his comeback under the bar at Ajax in the Champions League match with Besiktas (1-2) on Wednesday evening, but Erik ten Hag nevertheless continues to hold on to Pasveer as the first goalkeeper.
“The most important thing is that Erik is clear about Pasveer and Onana. And as far as I can judge from a distance, he is very bad,” Menzo says on Friday The Telegraph. The former the Dutch international thinks it is only logical that the Cameroonian was given playing time in Istanbul. “Let me knock it off, but imagine if something happens to Remko tomorrow, André must be there immediately.”
Menzo is in any case charmed by Onana, who has ‘everything of a modern goalkeeper’. “He is an athlete, technically and tactically very strong and can play football very well. On the line he is almost impossible to pass and in front of his goal he rules like a king.” However, he thinks Pasveer is an excellent goalkeeper and also points out his age. “That’s great at the age of 38, because the pressure is many times higher than at his previous clubs and the way of playing is different. Instead of ten balls per half, he now gets two on target. After a difficult start, he has recovered tremendously.”
“It is clear that Onana is the better of the two and Pasveer knows that too. Whether that will sit between his ears is up to Remko himself and Erik ten Hag. As a trainer Erik has clearly stated that Remko is his number one. Now he has to withstand the fact that one of the best goalkeepers in Europe is breathing down his neck. But you are a professional for that and a real Ajax keeper can handle that mentally.”
Menzo finds it a difficult, and ‘not fair’, question who he would draft if he were Ajax’s trainer. After all, the outside world does not know all the ins and outs surrounding Onana’s former doping suspension and stalled contract negotiations. “We all know that Onana is the best keeper who is under contract with Ajax. Ten Hag is the one who makes the choice based on all the information and opts for Pasveer. Given the national and European results, he makes a lot of good decisions.”