Jorrel Hato feels more comfortable in the center of the defense, the seventeen-year-old left foot honestly said in front of the Ajax cameras. While club channels normally leave little room for criticism of the trainer’s choices, the young Rotterdammer makes no bones about it.
So far this season, Hato has often formed the central duo with Josip Sutalo, but had to make do with a starting spot in the left back position against AEK Athens (1-1). Gastón Ávila, who left a disappointing impression, was favored in his favorite position.
Maurice Steijn’s change is discussed in Hato’s interview on Ajax’s YouTube channel. When asked what it’s like on the left, he gives a short but telling answer. “Otherwise. I prefer to be the center of attention.” In the part that is cut by Ajax, you can still hear the interviewer responding. “That is obvious.”
Hato enjoyed the matches he played against Nordin Amrabat. “They were great matches, he is a really strong player. He didn’t believe I was seventeen. He’s a nice boy.” At 36 years old, Amrabat is more than twice as old as Hato.
Ajax should have taken control of the match earlier, Hato concludes. “We had two very good chances in the first half with Carlos (Forbs, ed.) and Brian (Brobbey, ed.). AEK also had many chances, but there was no need to give away a 1-0 lead like that. That’s too bad. If you are 1-0 up, you have to kill the game in the second half and not concede a goal at the end.”
While Devyne Rensch stated that Ajax was good defensively, Hato does not seem to share that opinion. “Sometimes we make careless mistakes ourselves, which gives them opportunities. Everyone can make mistakes, but sometimes they are mistakes that make me think: we shouldn’t do that at the back,” said the youngster.
Hato, who did not miss a minute at Ajax under Steijn, is one of the biggest bright spots for the Amsterdam team this season. The counter now stands at 24 official matches in the main squad of the Dutch record champion. Ajax hopes to sign Hato longer in the short term, as the Rotterdammer’s contract expires in the summer of 2025.