Manchester United Step Up Interest In Ajax Defender, Erik Ten Hag Knows Him Well

New Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is seeking to persuade 20 year old defender Jurriën Timber to follow in his footsteps and make the trip from Ajax to United.  

The 20 year old Dutch international has received six caps for the Netherlands and joined the Ajax academy at the age of thirteen. This season he has become a mainstay in the starting lineup of the Eredivisie winning team. 

A versatile player, Timber is primarily a centre back but can also play at right-back, this will be of particular use to Man United as right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka struggled for consistency last season and has been told he can leave this summer. In addition to Wan-Bissaka’s expected departure, Raphael Varane has been plagued by injury and was unavailable for over a third of United’s fixtures last season. 

Timber is considered to have excellent distribution, an area which is often pinpointed as a weakness for Man United captain and fellow centre back Harry Maguire. 

Whilst Timber is highly rated in the Netherlands, two Dutch greats are divided on whether he’ll be a good fit in the Premier League. Ruud Gullit is sceptical, saying ‘I think Timber is a very good player, but whether he can be a defender in England…I have my doubts’. Conversely, Marco Van Basten thinks the 20 year old will be a useful asset for United and has said ‘He is reliable in the defensive part, but also so comfortable on the ball’.

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Man United are also interested in signing Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres and are eyeing up N’Golo Kante and Frenkie de Jong to enhance their defensive strength.