Kjell Scherpen initiated the defeat of Ajax in the Europa League match against AS Roma (1-2) with a blunder. In his official debut against FC Utrecht, the 21-year-old goalkeeper also did not go completely free and in the match against sc Heerenveen, Henk Veerman could not take advantage of a mistake by the goalkeeper. Frans Hoek acknowledges ‘the false start’ of Scherpen in the first of Ajax, but emphasizes that it is much too early to rule out a breakthrough at Ajax and a great career.
“Edwin van der Sar’s start at Ajax was also faltering and hesitant. Everyone then found it incomprehensible that he was goalkeeper for Ajax. Edwin floated above ”, the former goalkeeper coach of Ajax, the Dutch national team, Bayern Munich and Barcelona recalls on Saturday Algemeen Dagblad. He also worked with goalkeeper talents in Spain. “Victor Valdés and José Manuel Reina were only sixteen at Barcelona when we let them go higher. I saw super talents. ”
“Valdes immediately caused a few unnecessary penalties. Despite the skepticism that arose at the time, he captured three Champions League cups. We have to be careful about judging. It is unrealistic and unfair to say whether Scherpen is good or bad. ” Hoek points out that a good balance can be drawn up after two or three years. “The ideal curve, up in a straight line, does not exist. The trick is not to let that curve drop too far. ”
Hoek is curious about the coming weeks, although Stekelenburg is said to have almost recovered from his knee injury. “Scherpen has to straighten his back and the next ball is the most important. You also don’t want him to stop playing now, because then this will stick. That’s why the upcoming duels are so important. It will be a huge challenge for him to show his potential. In the end he has to do that himself, but good guidance from the staff of Ajax is unimaginably essential in this. “
Scherpen let a kick from Lorenzo Pellegrini slip through his fingers on Thursday. A hard blow for the goalkeeper. “What do you have to say about it? A mistake, a shame, you know that you are doing everything right for that. This will come in ”, he said afterwards in conversation with RTL7. “Of course, then you have to keep going. It was just a bad time. You basically take a ball like that a hundred times out of a hundred. The first hour I fill it in well, but that is of no use to me. ”