Jurrien Timber turned down a move to Manchester United in the summer, and now Liverpool lynchpin Virgil van Dijk says the Ajax youngster is far better than he was at the same age.
United were interested in 21-12 months-old centre-again Timber this summer time, but rather shelled out €63.3 million to bring his clubmate Lisandro Martinez to Old Trafford as a substitute.
Though Timber shot down reports that former Pink Devils manager Louis van Gaal experienced instructed him his World Cup spot with the Netherlands wouldn’t be harmless if he made the move, he obviously elected to keep and continue his development at Ajax.
Just like the old times… ✨
Timber ↝ Brobbey ↝ Taylor#ForTheFuture pic.twitter.com/SHx2Jxcw8X
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 16, 2022
“I think a player of his high quality can participate in in the Premier League,” Van Gaal experienced said at the time. “That is not a problem. If he has to make this big move now, which is the dilemma. It’s not so smart I think. He has to perform.”
Higher praise
Timber has because begun all 7 of Ajax’s game titles as they have raced to the top of the Dutch Eredivisie table alongside PSV Eindhoven, and he is in the Netherlands squad – together with Van Dijk – for their UEFA Nations League conferences with Poland and Belgium.
The Liverpool stalwart, who captains the Netherlands, was effusive in his praise of Timber when questioned about the defender 10 a long time his junior.
“I wasn’t virtually as much alongside as he is now,” Van Dijk mentioned. “I have absolutely nothing but praise for him. He’s a great player and a legitimate professional. He has so significantly probable. Ideally he can produce even further. Then he will be alright, I consider.”
Timber has averaged 3 blocks as effectively as 7 progressive passes for every 90 minutes over the last yr, making him a enormous asset on equally sides of the ball, and he is now rated at €39 million by Football Transfers’ in-house algorithm.
