Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’M 25..I FEEL LIKE THE GRANDPA OF THIS TEAM
JOEL VELTMAN has revealed he is the “grandpa” of the Ajax team taking on Manchester United – and is only 25. The Dutch defender feels like the baby-sitter of a side looking to make history by becoming the youngest ever European titleholders in Stockholm tomorrow. Highly-rated coach Peter Bosz has assembled a youthful side with an average age of just 20.4 years. Among his squad are 19-year-old Denmark forward Kasper Dolberg and defender Matthijs de Ligt, who is just 17. And that makes Veltman, switched from centre-half to a right-back by Bosz this season, the elder statesman of a side hoping to use their speed, energy and hunger to blow away Jose Mourinho’s men in the Friends Arena in Sweden. “I am feeling old in this team, maybe like the grandpa,” laughed Veltman, who is a target for Tottenham and Arsenal. “The other day, in our last game of the league season at Willem II, Davy Klaassen was the oldest guy at 24 and I think it was the youngest team ever in the Dutch Eredivisie. “When you think about it and know we’ve reached the Europa League final beating some big teams like Lyon in the semi-final and Schalke in the quarterfinals that’s a crazy thing. “I’m feeling not that old because I’m only 25, but when I’m playing I’m one of the oldest guys. And that’s crazy.” The Ajax nickname is Sons of Gods and despite their youth, Veltman (right) is not worried about his team-mates freezing on their big night in Stockholm. “When the whistle blows of course it’s always difficult to say how you will react,” he said. “We can say we are young for sure, but we’re not thinking about this game as a final. United have more experience and some players who have been in big finals before like Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney. “So, when you’re experienced you can also say you know what do in some occasions. “But right now what I can tell you is that Kasper Dolberg or Matthijs de Ligt are playing a very good game. It doesn’t matter what age they are.” Ajax have had 10 days to prepare for the final and while they rested United had to play Spurs, Southampton and Crystal Palace. Veltman, who is well aware of the threat to Ajax dreams posed by Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, is certain that favours a Bosz side straining at the leash to get at opponents going into their 64th game of the season. “United had to play at Southampton then against Crystal Palace and for us that’s a good thing,” he said. “We have had all the time to focus on Wednesday and work on our game plan. “But I’ve studied Rashford and Martial and they are dangerous players. Rashford especially. He’s a very quick player, scores very easy. He is a good player. “United are more experienced than us and will be able to handle that schedule better, but I think we can make it difficult when we play as a team and put a lot of pressure on them. Then we have a chance.” Veltman and his team-mates are determined not to give United’s battle weary players time to draw breath. “When the coach came in at the start of the season he told us we had to put pressure on teams for 90 minutes,” he said. “I remember saying to him, ‘90 minutes, man? We can’t be going for 90 minutes’. “But now at the end of the season we see what we’ve achieved and we know we have all the physical intensity to do it for 90 minutes in this final.”