5 Ajax wonderkids who need to move to a big club this summer

#1 Matthijs De Ligt

The Golden boy of Dutch football

The most prized possession in the Ajax football club at the moment, Matthijs De Ligt is the youngest player in the list having just 19 years of age.

De Ligt joined the Ajax Academy at the age of 9 and rose up through the ranks of the youth groups often playing as the youngest member of the team. The central defender was soo good that Jong Ajax, the reserve team of the club, gave him his debut on August 2016 with De Ligt still aged just 16 against FC Emmen in the second division on the Dutch league.

The senior call-up was not far behind as De Ligt started his first match for Ajax just a month later against Willem II, scoring his first ever senior goal in the same match. The goal against Willem made De Ligt the second youngest player ever to do so, aged 17 and 40 days. A month later the teenager was promoted to the senior team.

The end of the season saw De Ligt being the youngest player ever to start in the UEFA Europa League final as Ajax lost to Machester United in the final, ending the season with 23 appearances and 3 goals. The same season saw De Ligt making his first appearance for the national side as he became the youngest player since 1931 to don the jersey for the Oranje.

The sale of Davinson Sanchez to Tottenham saw De Ligt being named as the first team starter. The 18-year old was also named as the youngest captain of Ajax when Joel Veltman was out injured. The first full season with the senior team saw the teenager making 39 appearances for the Dutch giants.

The 2018-19 season has seen the performances of the teenager improving drastically as he claimed the Golden Boy award, the first defender ever to win the award while also becoming a first team starter for the National side. The victory against Real Madrid saw De Ligt becoming the youngest ever captain to win in the knockout stages.

De Ligt is an excellent player with the ball at his feet. The 19-year old averages more than 90% successful pass percentage this season. Standing 6'2 tall the teenager is a threat from the set pieces, his first ever professional goal was scored from a set piece as he headed in from a corner against Willem II. The greatest aspect for the defender though is his tackling ability, De Ligt at this very young age posses the ability to take the ball of the opponent with minimal contact and the teenager averages 1.3 tackles per game this season.

The 19-year old though has his own set of weaknesses with the defender still learning in the trade. The judgement of the teenager is one of the main problems with De Ligt still not having gained enough experience on how to judge a situation.

Physicality is also another problem that he has been faced with in the past with stronger opponents gaining the upper hand over the technically gifted Ajax defender. A move to a bigger club though will help the teenager in fulfilling his potentials and getting over his weaknesses.