06 May 2023 , 12:23
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Jaap Stam has warned Manchester United that summer transfer target Jurrien Timber 'lacks aggression', claiming the Ajax centre-back would need to be meaner in the Premier League.
Timber, 21, is being eyed by Ten Hag, who's already signed two players from former club Ajax since becoming United's manager a year ago for a total of around £140million - Antony and Lisandro Martinez. The Red Devils boss was keen on reuniting with the Netherlands international last summer but Ajax held firm and he eventually agreed a new long-term contract.
But that fresh deal hasn't deterred United's interest, with a €50m (£44m) price tag believed to have been slapped on Timber this time around. Stam, though, as one of the Red Devils' greatest ever defenders, reckons that Ten Hag would be taking a risk on the youngster, who like United centre-back Martinez is only 5ft 9in.
"The big advantage of United for Timber is that he already knows Ten Hag and vice versa," Stam firstly noted to Dutch publication Algemeen Dagblad. "The intentions of the trainer are moulded to Timber, but make no mistake: this is the Premier League. There you can't always be dominant, you have to duel much more against strikers like Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
"Everyone with Lisandro Martinez was also curious about that. It turns out that he did it. With Timber, I just miss a certain amount of aggression - sometimes even being a little mean - in his game. That is also, for example, in giving the first blow before the real duels come. Martinez does. You can learn that too, but it has to be in you."
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Liverpool have also been linked with Timber, as Jurgen Klopp aims to rebuild his side in the summer transfer window. Still, Stam reckons that the Ajax hotshot would be better off joining Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
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Jurrien Timber has been criticised for his 'lack of aggression' (Photo Prestige/Soccrates/Getty Images)"You also have to look at combinations and chance of playing time," the Red Devils' treble-winning hero noted. "United can still use a defender, also because Raphael Varane is prone to injury and Harry Maguire is still disappointing.
"In England I therefore see United as the most logical option. And what I would like to see more often is Timber as a right-back. There are at United, where [Diogo] Dalot without the ball and [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka on the ball don't quite convince me yet."
Many fans would agree with Stam's assessment, as Ten Hag is reported to be after a new right-back this summer amid being open to selling Wan-Bissaka. Dalot, on the other hand, is in line for a new contract with United after earning most of the available minutes this season and making a solid impression.