Real youngsters give Solari big boost

– Real Madrid against Ajax would typically be a clash of stars against prodigies but when they face each other in the Champions League last-16 tonight, the difference will be harder to distinguish.

Ajax will field their latest crop of young gems at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt will attempt to live up to already-swelling reputations while the likes of Donny van de Beek, Andre Onana and Kasper Dolberg could also enhance theirs.

The surprise is less that Ajax’s line-up will be sprinkled with emerging talents than the expectation Madrid’s will be too.

Gareth Bale aside, the Galacticos are gone, replaced by a handful of prospects trying to forge their own way at the biggest

Amsterdam

and most demanding club in the world.

The shift was not so much initiated by coach Santiago Solari, whose predecessors Zinedine Zidane and Julen Lopetegui both used youth when they had to, primarily to rest key players or remind them their place was not guaranteed.

But in the biggest games, Zidane and Lopetegui were drawn to experience, while Solari has made youth his first choice since taking over in November.

Vinicius Junior (left) has had less time than Ajax’s De Jong, with only six starts in La Liga and one in the Champions League, but his impact has been arguably just as dramatic.

Solari has fast-tracked his fledglings and so far that faith has been rewarded. –