Jaap Stam warns ‘really special’ £43m star against Manchester United move

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Jaap Stam has sent Jurrien Timber a warning as the Ajax ace weighs up a summer move to the Premier League with Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United among his admirers.

Thursday’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion – Alexis Mac Allister slamming home a 99^th minute penalty – highlighted the difference between a club set up specifically to play in their manager’s preferred style and a Man United side who, under Ten Hag, still have a number of players who continue to look like square pegs trying to force themselves awkwardly into round holes.

In the absence of Lisandro Martinez, United struggled to play through the thirds at The Amex.

In addition to a new centre-forward, a press-resistant playmaker and a more technically-capable goalkeeper, a ball-playing, right-sided centre-half is likely to be near the very top of Ten Hag’s summer wishlist.

Timber would certainly fit the bill; as confident in possession as you would expect from a man who learned all he knows at Ajax.

Timber won a pair of Eredivisie titles under Ten Hag at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Will Manchester United sign Ajax’s Jurrien Timber?

But Stam, the legendary Dutchman who played some of the best football of his career at Old Trafford, believes Timber may benefit from spending another season at Ajax.

La Liga, he adds, may also be a better fit for the 21-year-old than the Premier League.

“He really has a lot of potential,” Stam tells Algemeen Dagblad. “But he doesn’t have to make a choice for the money or the name (of the club) now. We often see that go wrong.

“At Ajax, he has the guarantee of fighting for titles.”

According to Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg, Timber will cost around £43 million this summer. The man himself admitted that a summer transfer was ‘getting closer’ last week, though Man United are likely to face an almighty challenge, their position weakened by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding that long-awaited takeover.

“Clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona want players who are special on the ball. Timber also has that quality because he thinks ahead, can turn and dribble well,” Stam adds.

“Attacking trainers select on that basis, because such players easily create overloads and make the team increasingly dominant.

“Ten Hag likes Frenkie de Jong so much for a good reason.

“(Timber’s) technique makes him really special. And those players often fit better in La Liga – technically the best league in Europe – rather than the Premier League.”