Calvin Bassey could be Ajax’s best defender. That’s the view of John Heitinga, who recently replaced Alfred Schrueder in the Amsterdam hot seat. Bassey has had a rollercoaster six months since joining the Eredivisie giants from Rangers in the summer. He was sent off on his Ajax debut during the Johan Cruyff Shield final before cementing his place as first choice left-back under Schrueder, despite outside criticism from pundits and ex-pros around his performances.
Bassey was given the final 15 minutes of Ajax’s recent KNVB Cup clash with FC Twente on Thursday and successfully helped see out a tense 1-0 away win. After the match, Heitinga revealed Bassey showed him exactly what he’s capable of. He said: “We were pushed backwards and I noticed that we needed a bit more body at the back. Firmness is very important to me, but that doesn't mean we play in the same composition all season. Calvin came in and was perhaps our best defender.”
Ajax will face RKC at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Sunday and it remains to be seen whether the new head coach chooses Bassey or sticks to his trusted central duo of Jurrien Timber and Edson Alvarez. Heitinga continued: “You want to have good competition in your group. After seven games in a month, there is also fatigue in the legs. Each time you look at who you play against, how do they play, how high or low are they and who are there in front of them? You make that decision before every match.”
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