Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder is still resentful towards his club over the sales of Lisandro Martinez and Antony to Manchester United.
That is according to Henk Spaan, who was writing in his Het Parool column following the Eredivisie side’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.
“Schreuder is still full of resentment over the sale of Antony and Martinez,” he says.
The South American pair were crucial to Ajax last season, with Martinez even winning the club’s Player of the Season award before the summer.
Antony, meanwhile, provided flair and quality in attack.
Schreuder was given assurances that the Brazilian would not be sold and repeatedly expressed his desire to work with the winger.
Ajax received around £135m for the pair, however their replacements have not yet lived up to their remit.
It is perhaps notable that no resent appears to be felt over the departures of Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch, who both transferred to Bayern Munich.
But for Spaan, the issue in Amsterdam runs deeper than those two players.
“Of course Ajax suffers from the lack of a number of basic players, but Ajax suffers most from the lack of Erik ten Hag,” he writes.
With United also snapping up Ajax’s manager in the summer, the Dutch side’s struggles in the Champions League have been brought into sharp focus.
They have lost four games out of five in their group and are set to play in the Europa League – where a reunion could be on the cards.
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