Rafael Van der Vaart, a former Premier League player, questions whether Jurrien Timber of Ajax would be better off joining Manchester United this summer.
Regarding the former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid playmaker, Ryan Gravenberch's Bundesliga problems at Bayern Munich serve as a good example of the possible drawbacks of joining one of Europe's top teams.
Gravenberch, who was one of the first names on Erik ten Hag's Ajax roster, has started just two league games for Bayern after leaving Ajax for a cool £21 million.
But there's no reason to think that with Jurrien Timber, the past will inevitably repeat itself. Ten Hag, a former manager of Ajax, is a coach who is familiar with and confident in Timber, one of Europe's most dynamic defenders. Timber and Ten Hag won two Eredivisie championships together at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Furthermore, the 21-year-old international from the Netherlands does not fit into Ten Hag's system since he is a square peg in a round hole. Timber, a naturally gifted center-half who enjoys playing with the ball, is arguably more compatible with the Dutchman's tactical philosophy than the less skilled Raphael Varane.
Lisandro Martinez and Timber have a great working relationship already because they were teammates on Ajax's Eredivisie-winning team in 2021–2022.
However, despite rumors that his spouse is already looking for a home in England's north west, Van der Vaart continued to argue that Timber would be better suited staying in Holland for another year.
“I am a huge fan of him,” Van der Vaart tells Ziggo Sport. “Sometimes he is too good, so he deals with situations too casually."
“(But) this season has been difficult for the whole team. I think that, if you stay and things go better next season, you will join a bigger club after next season.
“You see (what can go wrong) with Gravenberch.”
According to estimates, Jurrien Timber is worth about £43 million, similar to the price Manchester United would have to spend to sign Kim-Min Jae from Napoli, another center-half who enjoys possession of the ball.
“He really has a lot of potential,” Man United icon Jaap Stam tells Algemeen Dagblad of Timber. “But he doesn’t have to make a choice for the money or the name (of the club) now. We often see that go wrong."
“At Ajax, he has the guarantee of fighting for titles.”
“Clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona want players who are special on the ball. Timber also has that quality because he thinks ahead, can turn and dribble well,” Stam adds.
“Attacking trainers select on that basis, because such players easily create overloads and make the team increasingly dominant. Ten Hag likes Frenkie de Jong so much for a good reason."
“(Timber’s) technique makes him really special. And those players often fit better in La Liga – technically the best league in Europe – rather than the Premier League.”
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