Jaap Stam has questioned whether former Manchester United target Jurrien Timber possesses the physicality needed to play in the Premier League.
Various reports have suggested Erik ten Hag could raid his former club Ajax again this summer. Last year the Dutchman swooped for Antony and centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
Football fans and pundits debated whether the latter had the attributes needed to cope with the demands of English football. However, Martinez has answered his critics by being one of United’s standout players of the campaign.
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The defender struck up a formidable partnership with Timber at Ajax, conceding just 19 goals on their way to winning the Eredivisie title last term. Martinez's impressive form has continued at Old Trafford, with the Argentina international also playing an integral part in his nation’s World Cup triumph in December.
An offer of around £45million would reportedly tempt Ajax into selling Timber. However, former United defender Stam is unsure whether his compatriot could make as smooth a transition as Martinez.
“The intentions of the trainer (Ten Hag) are moulded to Timber, but make no mistake: this is the Premier League,” he told Algemeen Dagblad. “There you can’t always be dominant, you have to duel much more against strikers like Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
“Everyone with Lisandro Martínez 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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