Calvin Bassey is struggling at Ajax after his summer move from Rangers FC, as he has not yet adapted to replace Lisandro Martinez.
That’s according to his teammate Remko Pasveer, who believes the youngster has yet to realise how to adequately replace the now Manchester United man.
Martinez moved to Old Trafford in the summer to continue working under Erik ten Hag, with Ajax moving quickly to replace him with Bassey, who had been a star under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
He arrived in a €23m deal from Rangers after impressing at Ibrox over the last two years, particularly as part of the squad that reached the Europa League final under the Dutchman last season.
He’s struggled to replicate his form for Rangers in the Netherlands, though, with a series of disappointing performances in both the Eredivisie and Champions League.
It’s seen him coming in for almost weekly criticism from fans and pundits alike, who have been left unimpressed by the summer signing.
Pasveer now admits his teammate has struggled, but simply believes it is a case of him failing to reach the standards that Martinez set.
“If you see how easily we sometimes lose the second ball, after which we have to sprint back… In situations like that, we are often not in a good position,” Ajax Life report him saying to ESPN.
“How that can happen, I don’t know. But I see it happening from my position. It is then often difficult to reach the players over such long distances.
“We don’t see it, or we don’t coach each other. That’s worrying, though.
“He (Martinez) was used to the Ajax style of play and put things on edge. That’s a big lack in the centre of the pitch. He knew exactly when to cover through. Calvin Bassey still has to learn that. We have a lot of work to do there.”
