Kenneth Taylor had the opportunity to temporarily leave Ajax last winter. In conversation with Football International he admits to have discussed this with trainer Erik ten Hag. Taylor let the coach’s words sink in and then decided to take his chance completely. The Jong Ajax player was rewarded towards the end of the season with basic places against AZ, sc Heerenveen and Vitesse.
Taylor admits it took a long time to get his chance. “But I still kept faith, because I know that playing and training at Ajax is best,” said the midfielder. “And I knew what I was doing it for. Playing in Ajax 1. I kept that goal in my head every day and so I coped better than last season. I continued to give one hundred percent every day in the training sessions, invested a lot in myself, to make me stronger on and off the field, in all areas. I worked a lot with strength coach Yoeri Pegel, and Mitchell van der Gaag was also very important. He knew me well from Ajax, kept me calm and focused .”
It would have been close if Taylor had spent the second half of the season elsewhere. “During the winter break, a temporary departure was on the agenda,” he admits. “It’s true that Erik ten Hag came to me one day and said it might be better for my development to play elsewhere on a rental basis. I drove home in the car and thought about it, but was there quite quickly “I didn’t want that. I also told him that, that I appreciated that he thought along with me, but that I would still take my chance at Ajax. I noticed that he also liked it, my confidence that my playing minutes still Ten Hag also came back to it before the last game, away at Vitesse. He said: ‘You were right.’ I liked that.”
For Taylor, it remains to be seen what his chances are next year, as Ten Hag has left for Manchester United. A big loss, according to the midfielder. “I learned a lot from him (Ten Hag, ed.), our bond was also great, he is tactically so strong,” said a praising Taylor. “I just wanted to stay with Ajax. Of course you think very briefly: Playing minutes must come. But I never had that doubt. I think I am good enough to force a basic place. And that has happened. Moreover, I continued to train with the best players in the Netherlands. That also counted for me.”