Shades of Zlatan in a Great Dane
TEENAGE striker Kasper Dolberg has drawn comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and there are shades of the celebrated 1990s vintage in his youthful Ajax side that faces Manchester United in today’s Europa League final.
Ajax lifted the Champions League in 1995 with a sophisticated brand of football played by the likes of young stars Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, and the De Boer brothers.
Athough Peter Bosz’s side this year aren’t up to that level yet, some are making comparisons after he recently named the youngest XI in the history of the Dutch league – at an average age of barely 21.
At just 19 years of age, Dolberg is getting plenty of notice – and the Dane does not have a famous name to rely on.
United forward Ibrahimovic, who is out of this week’s final in Stockholm with a knee injury, sprang to prominence as a young predator at Ajax.
Dolberg does not have the Swede’s hugely imposing frame, but he is no pushover either.
“There are similarities with Zlatan,” said Bosz. “Technically, and with his physical presence, and his ability to play with his back to goal.”
Dolberg’s agent Jens Steffensen says the phone never stops ringing from interested clubs.
But Dolberg is under contract until 2021 and says he wants to stay in the Netherlands for another year to hone his game. — AFP a 0-0 draw at Southampton.
DAVY KLAASSEN At 24, captain Klaassen makes for an unlikely elder statesman in Peter Bosz’s tender Ajax team.
An academy graduate and Netherlands international, Klaassen is a box-tobox midfielder who has scored a careerbest 21 goals for the Amsterdam giants this season.
He was the architect of Ajax’s stunning quarterfinal win over Schalke, his two first-leg goals – one a penalty – laying the foundations for a 4-3 aggregate success.
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN Armenian speedster Mkhitaryan did not make his Europa League bow for United until their fourth group game, but he has since become something of a lucky charm.
His five goals in the tournament to date include key away goals in knockoutphase games Anderlecht. at Saint-Etienne, Rostov and
BERTRAND TRAORÉ Yet to make the grade with parent club Chelsea, Traore joined Ajax on loan last August, having previously spent two years working under Bosz during a loan spell at Vitesse Arnhem.
The 21-year-old Burkina Faso forward has come to life in the Europa League, notably scoring
two goals as part of a man-of-the-match performance in their 4-1 semifinal first-leg win over Lyon.
MARCUS RASHFORD An injury sustained by Anthony Martial prior to United’s Europa League clash with FC Midtjylland last season gave Rashford his big chance and the tournament continues to be kind to him.
He scored a smartly taken extra-time winner against Anderlecht in the quarterfinals and procured a valuable away goal with a fine free-kick at Celta Vigo. — AFP