“We believe in him”: Ajax director Alex Kroes has high hopes for latest prospect | OneFootball

As per VoetbalPrimeur’s coverage of Ziggo Sport’s ‘Rondo’, Ajax director Alex Kroes has confidence in Sean Steur. The Jong Ajax midfielder (17) seemingly has all the tools to break through into the senior set-up.

The teen’s name arose on the show after Kroes was asked if there were any particularly impressive prospects playing for the academy at De Toekomst. He replied:

“Jong Ajax are currently playing against Jong AZ. There’s a guy playing there, Sean Steur. That guy is making great progress in very little time. He’s a good footballer.”

That said, while Steur had caught the eye of one of Ajax’s big bosses, Kroes made it clear that it was all down to the youngster in regard to just how far he could go.

“Will he make it to the Dutch national team? Nobody knows. Will he become a key player for the Ajax first team? Nobody knows. (…) “He has the talent for it, no discussion. We believe in him. But again: it is up to him to take those steps. He must now become a key player in Jong Ajax. We are working hard to keep him.”

Following the praise, Kroes remained tight-lipped surrounding any further talented youth players. Understandably, given Ajax’s depth and history as an academy, it’s simply presumed that the Amsterdam club trust those within their ranks immensely.

The director continued: “There are enough boys who can make it to the first team. They have to prove themselves. We are busy making those boys better, but also busy binding them to us and giving them the space to grow.”

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield