Ryan Gravenberch was missing Sunday afternoon in the home game of Ajax with RKC Waalwijk after undergoing a coron test, so assures The Telegraph Monday. Erik ten Hag did not want to tell the newspaper on Sunday whether the absence of Gravenberch had to do with the coronavirus. “That’s for privacy reasons.”

Ajax-watcher Mike Verweij, however, claims that Mohammed Kudus owed his base place to the fact that the cold Gravenberch had to undergo a coronary test. Whether Gravenberch tested positive for the coronavirus is not yet known. Presumably this will soon become clear internally.

“He had complaints. That’s why he wasn’t available”, Ten Hag also stressed to the Algemeen Dagblad. “For the sake of privacy, I’m not allowed to comment on what those complaints are.” Should Gravenberch test positive for the coronavirus, Ajax’s midfielder will have to be quarantined at home. Chances are that the teenager will also have to miss the approaching home game with Vitesse next Saturday.

Kudus made an excellent impression as a replacement for Gravenberch. Ten Hag opted last week during the season opener against Sparta Rotterdam in midfield for a block consisting of Edson Álvarez and Gravenberch, with Quincy Promes as number ten. Kudus had a chance as a more offensive player in the block on Sunday.

“I think it’s great to see him play”, Ten Hag told me about Kudus on Sunday. “He is very active and dynamic and can play football in a very high intensity. He claims the ball and often knows how to do something good with it. He also picks up balls. If he learns to take even better positions in our system, he will become a very nice player for Ajax. We need to see where we need him.”

Ten Hag hinted at an extremely offensive midfield with both Gravenberch and Kudus. “It can’t be ruled out that Gravenberch and Kudus will play together.” Still, he wanted to stress the value of Álvarez. “How many balls did he take again today? And how much is he on his way to play, connect the game and take good positions?”, he asked out loud. “That works very well.”