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There were no takers for the 26-year-old back then, but a torrid start to the season for Ajax could finally land United with a willing buyer. Steijn is on the brink after making a dreadful start to his managerial stint, and he claims that Van de Beek is the kind of player who could lift the Amsterdam giants out of their current predicament.<\/p>\n
“I look at the teenagers who can offer more than the players on the bench,” he said. “Some senior players are not yet able to bring it in training and during substitute appearances.<\/p>\n
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Read more… <\/strong> “I haven\u2019t written them off. But I make different choices based on what I see in training and what I think the team needs. Of course, this team would benefit incredibly from experienced players, such as Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek. Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic also excelled. We don\u2019t have those guys, and that is a disadvantage for the team.”<\/p>\n It remains to be seen whether Ajax attempt to put together a swoop for their former midfield maestro when the transfer window swings back open in January.<\/p>\n Van de Beek scored an impressive 41 goals in 175 first-team games for the serial Eredivisie winners, helping Ten Hag and his team-mates on a blockbuster run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018\/19.<\/p>\n Ajax are in a wholly different position at present, sitting 16th in the table after picking up just one win in Steijn’s first six league matches.<\/p>\n
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