In what has been a hard-fought season, Dutch giants Ajax look set to fall short of their goal. Currently sitting in second, Ajax are four points behind fellow Eredivisie powerhouse Feyenoord. With just six points available, it is certainly a difficult task ahead.
Kasper Dolberg: Europe’s Most Intriguing Prospect
This season has been a three-horse race, with the usual suspects involved. Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV have all had a good year, but as we all know, only one side can lift the trophy. As many are aware, Ajax builds through their illustrious youth system. This has been the “Ajax way” for some time. Currently, the team’s average age is just 22.6, a strikingly young number.
One stand-out player this season has been Danish forward Kasper Dolberg. The 19-year-old has quickly become one of Europe’s most intriguing prospects, but what makes him so interesting?
Player profile
An Ajax star and Danish international, Dolberg is one of the best young players in Europe. Still a teenager, he has already made one appearance for his country. Starting his career with Silkeborg IF, the Dane would make the switch to Ajax in 2015. He was discovered by Danish scout John Steen Olsen. Olsen had previously scouted Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Christian Eriksen, before both players joined the club.
Signing for just £230k, he really was a bargain. Ajax have a rich history of scouting quality talent and developing those players into future stars.
A great season
The 6’1” forward has been a key factor in Ajax’s Eredivisie and Europa League campaigns, making 44 appearances, tallying 20 goals and eight assists in a successful season. Not only has he been effective on the pitch, he’s found a way to stay there.
A durable player, Dolberg has missed only five games all season. On average, he goes 155 minutes per goal, a statistic good enough for any of Europe’s top-five leagues. With a chance at Europa League success, Dolberg could be a household name in the coming years.
Premier League player comparison
He is a similar player to Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. Rashford is capable of playing up front, whilst being versatile enough to play on either wing. Dolberg can play that role just as well as Rashford. Both players are full of potential, however, Dolberg is a key player in his team, where Rashford plays a reserve role at United.
To be this talented at his age leads many to believe his future may lie in one of Europe’s top leagues. In today’s world, Ajax will find it very hard to keep hold of the talented wonder-kid.
A fan’s perspective
Thomas Tittley is one of our writers here at LastWordOnSports.com and he describes himself as a “die hard” Ajax fan. I asked Thomas for his thoughts on Dolberg, and he had this to say:
“He has all the traits of a premier striker.”
“He Could REVOLUTIONISE Danish Football”
Kasper Dolberg can be an all-time great
It’s rare in football when you can look at a player and say, “he’s special”. However, with the likes of Dolberg, Kylian Mbappe and Gianluigi Donnarumma, they fall under that category.
There have been some great Danish footballers over the years. From Peter Schmeichel to Michael Laudrup, Dolberg can be as good if not better than his countrymen. He’s still young. But his potential is limitless, and this is one Dane to keep an eye on.
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