Ibrahim Afellay is full of praise for Brian Brobbey. The Ajax striker was accurate twice on Saturday evening in the winning league match against Heracles Almelo (2-4), bringing his season total to seventeen goals in all competitions.

“He has been in excellent form, actually all season,” Afellay begins Studio Football about Brobbey. “He has often been criticized because he did not score any goals for a while, but he is as strong as a horse, really… His interviews are always enjoyable.”

Michiel Kramer, also present in the talk show, also has words of praise for Brobbey. “I have indicated several times in the past that I think he is a very good player. He has so much power, so there is little you can do as a defender.”

“When Ajax players have space, they always play into it. Brobbey then keeps all the balls with him. He's just feeling really good, you can see that in everything. You see so much confidence in his way of finishing and moving. He is involved in many moments.”

“Brobbey now also has a lot of variation in his game,” Afellay adds. “He now often goes deep and is simply very difficult to play.” The analyst is then asked by presenter Sjoerd van Ramshorst whether Brobbey should currently be the first striker of the Dutch national team. “Yes, without a doubt!”, Afellay answers.

Hans Kraay tempers expectations
Hans Kraay junior thinks the positivism surrounding Brobbey is a bit exaggerated. The reporter cum analyst of ESPN concluded on Sunday Good morning Eredivisie that Ajax has a good striker, but also emphasized that Brobbey is not (yet) one of the world's best.

“Shall we all keep it a bit in the middle?” Kraay tempered the euphoria around Brobbey. “He had a lot of criticism at the beginning of the season in various programs. That he could hardly do anything. And then people say that he will be the best in Europe.”

“I think both are wrong. He will not be the best in Europe. It's all a bit in between,” Kraay refused to put the Ajax striker on a pedestal. “He's just a very good striker, we don't have to put a label on that, do we?”

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