Erik ten Hag does not think that Naci Ünüvar is ready for a permanent place in Ajax’s A-selection. On Friday afternoon, the coach of the team from Amsterdam announced at the press conference that Zakaria Labyad will be preferred over Ünüvar in the match selection for next Sunday’s Classic. In addition, the coach will provide a medical update on Sean Klaiber, Remko Pasveer and Maarten Stekelenburg.
Since Labyad decides on an expiring contract and Ünüvar is seen as an upcoming talent from his own youth, Ten Hag is asked why he does not or rarely include the latter in the selection. “Naci is on the right track, but he is not yet on the road to make a difference for us,” responds Ten Hag, who indicates that he currently expects more added value from Labyad. “’He has already proven it in the past. You should check out his stats. Of course, if you don’t play, you can’t work on your stats. But when Labyad played for Ajax, he always delivered.”
Furthermore, Ten Hag provides the press room with information about the medical situation of his group of players, if requested. The selection has come out of the lost Champions League match with Benfica (0-1) unscathed and only the long-term injured will be absent in the game against Feyenoord. Despite the fact that Ten Hag indicates that he already sees Stekelenburg ‘floating in training’, he does not expect the goalkeeper to return to the match selection before the end of the current season. The same goes for Klaiber and Pasveer.
Ten Hag hopes to wash away the unpleasant aftertaste of the defeat at the billion-dollar ball against the Rotterdam team. “I haven’t watched football in recent days. I was done with it for a while. We still have a lot to play for this season: the league and the cup. There are still a lot of finals coming up, and Sunday is soon” a final,” said the trainer. In case of a win, Ajax guarantees itself at least one more round at the top of the Eredivisie; number three Feyenoord can catch up to three points with a win.
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