De Telegraaf’s opinion column on Saturday shares some truths on players who have left Ajax in recent years, starting with Donny van de Beek.
Wim Kieft is the one sharing his opinion on the now Everton player, and the 59-year-old has a huge history in Dutch football. Winning the Euros with the Netherlands, Kieft also won six Eredivisie titles, between Ajax and PSV, the European Cup with the latter, and a selection of other trophies.
Van de Beek moved to Manchester United in 2020 and failed to break through under either Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or, more recently, Ralf Rangnick.
He’s received plenty of sympathy from fans of many clubs, with there being a feeling that he simply wasn’t being given a fair chance of things at Old Trafford.
With the player now at Everton, Wim Kieft insists people shouldn’t ‘feel sorry’ for his compatriot. Indeed, he says feeling sorry for Van de Beek, Georginio Wijnaldum or Frenkie De Jong is ‘rather inappropriate’.
They all knew the hurdles ahead of them at the clubs they were joining, and how they’d struggle for prominence.
The Dutch legend ends by saying: ‘They have made no progress sportingly. They are all dazzled by the big names of Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona, but at the same time just as good because of the big money. There is therefore no need at all to feel sorry for those players.’
