Insistence player needs time to impress after Rangers exit – Opinion turning after initial struggles

Ajax need to give defender Calvin Bassey his chance to impress despite his initial struggles since signing from Rangers in the summer.

That’s according to journalist Mike Verweij, who says the youngster must be allowed to “make the steps” and prove himself at the Dutch giants, having done well in the Scottish Premiership.

Bassey joined Ajax from Rangers in the summer, departing Ibrox in a €23m deal after two impressive years at the club.

He particularly impressed during their run in the Europa League last season, something that did not go unnoticed and led Ajax to move for him in the summer when they were seeking a replacement for Lisandro Martinez.

Bassey arrived with a growing reputation but has struggled since the summer, with a series of unimpressive performances in a difficult season for Ajax seeing him regularly criticised.

That, though, has changed in recent weeks, with Bassey looking more like the player who impressed at Rangers and earning himself something of a reprieve among fans and pundits alike.

Verweij has continued that theme, insisting that the defender needs to be given time to develop, as former stars were allowed to do.

“I quite believe in Bassey,” he told De Telegraaf’s football podcast, relayed by Ajax Showtime.

“On the ball he is not good enough, but you have to give players the chance to make the steps. Álvarez and Martinez didn’t play at first, so you have to give him time.”