Ajax boss indicates André Onana will play back-up to Remko Pasveer | OneFootball

Erik ten Hag has assured Remko Pasveer that he is first-choice goalkeeper at Ajax despite the imminent return of André Onana.

The latter has returned to first-team training after his nine-month ban for inadvertently breaking doping rules, and will be eligible for selection again from this Thursday.

Pasveer is currently deputising for fellow veteran Maarten Stekelenburg, who has been ruled out for the season with injury.

The 37-year-old has been in excellent form of late, keeping nine clean sheets in 12 games in all competitions to date.

And with those statistics in his favour, Ajax’s manager is inclined to stick with the former Heracles stopper.

“André joins in, but at the moment Remko is our first man,” ten Hag said after the 0-0 draw at Pasveer’s old club on Saturday (via Voetbal International).

“I think a club like Ajax needs a good goalkeeper team. When there are holes in that, you need to take action and bring together the best players available. Then they fight it out together.”

And ten Hag confirmed that the position is Pasveer’s to lose.

“I am very satisfied with him at the moment. If he continues these achievements, he will be number one,” ten Hag said.

Onana’s contract expires next summer, but Ajax may now opt not to try and offload him in January given their goalkeeping situation.