As we wait for Newcastle to announce his arrival, Ajax’s technical manager has made some interesting comments about Sven Botman during an interview with Mark Douglas at iNews.
Gerry Hamstra – who was the general manager of Heerenveen when the Dutchman joined on loan from Ajax in 2019 – says he is a man of few words who always does his talking on the pitch, believing he has “all the abilities” of a top defender.
Interestingly, Douglas’ piece also reveals that the youngster took ‘special sprinting lessons’ as a youngster to improve his explosiveness from a standing start. This clearly worked wonders, as he’s considered “one of the quickest players at recovery sprints in Europe”, busting the myth that he lacks pace.
Here’s what Hamstra had to say when asked what Toon fans can expect from the 22-year-old:
“He has all the qualities of a pure defender – he duels well, heads the ball well, is a real winner and will throw himself in front of the ball at the last minute to win a game.
“The Sven standing in front of you is the real Sven. He’s very solid, reliable and doesn’t do crazy things.
“He is a man of few words. He does, rather than talks.”
The 22-year-old has often been compared to fellow countryman Virgil van Dijk, with it being noted that the pair have a similar physique, are commanding in the air and confident on the ball.
With the rapid development of so many players at the club since the arrival of Eddie Howe – Joelinton in particular comes to mind – we could have a special player on our hands for many years to come.
Hopefully he can become our Vincent Kompany!
