Erik ten Hag: Ajax will look to replace Donny van de Beek from within | OneFootball

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag believes his side have the ability to deal with the seemingly inevitable departure of Donny van de Beek.

The midfielder watched on from the stands of the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday as the Eredivisie champions beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in a pre-season friendly.

Speaking afterwards about the situation, ten Hag said (via De Telegraaf): “The fact that Donny did not play does indicate a direction.

“The request not to let him play did not come specifically from one side. We do that together.

“Agreements have been made about a possible transfer, and if that possibility arises, you must also cooperate.”

But the Ajax boss dismissed the idea of buying an immediate replacement for the 23-year-old, and said he will look for alternative solutions from within the existing squad.

Ten Hag said the availability of the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Quincy Promes and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp gives the Amsterdam outfit “enough options” to cope should they lose van de Beek during this transfer window.

Manchester United are favourites to land his signature, but Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Spurs have also been linked with the Netherlands international.