A Dutch journalist is “absolutely convinced” Man Utd will sign Jurrien Timber, and outlined why Erik ten Hag won’t fancy Harry Maguire with a savage jibe.
Timber, 20, is reportedly in talks over a switch from Ajax to Manchester United. That assessment came from the Guardian who claimed a deal will cost in the region of £43m. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano later termed United’s interest as ‘concrete and serious’.
While there has been little updates in the way of how the talks are going, Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan is convinced United will push the deal through.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Van der Kraan said: “I’m absolutely convinced he’s going to get Timber in at Manchester United.
“I know the player said he has to think about leaving Ajax, I think it was all political talk. I think he’s already made his mind up and he will join Ten Hag.”
The Jurrien Timber comments Van der Kraan referred to can be found here. The defender was keen to stress he still enjoys playing for Ajax and would not be averse to remaining in Amsterdam. He also detailed the areas of his game that require improvement.
Yet the lure of moving to Manchester United may be too strong to ignore, especially with Ten Hag at the helm.
Timber is known as a ball-playing centre-half and completed over 90 percent of his passes in the Eredivisie last season.
Ability on the ball is a key requirement for Ten Hag’s defenders. The Dutch boss also requires his rear-guard to be mobile and excellent in one-v-ones.
Maguire not a “real footballing player”
When outlining how Timber would fit in at United, Van der Kraan delivered a brutal put-down on Harry Maguire.
The 29-year-old endured his worst campaign to date since joining the Red Devils. Criticism came from all corners, and further barbs have now come from the Netherlands.
“He’ll [Timber] be a really important player for Ten Hag because he can change the build-up from the back,” added the journalist. “He can change the style.
“If you look at when Rio Ferdinand joined, he was a footballing central defender. Ten Hag will never play with two Harry Maguires. He will want to have a real footballing player in central defence to start the build-up.
“Ten Hag will want to play on the half of opponents, just like Pep Guardiola. He’s a massive fan of Pep. I would almost think that there will be two teams with the same playing style in Manchester.”
Jurrien Timber could solve two issues
Aside from centre-back, Timber is also adept at operating at right-back. That versatility could come in handy given Aaron Wan-Bissaka might be on the move this summer.
The 24-year-old is a target for former club Crystal Palace, though their interest is understood to be limited to a loan capacity at present.
The Express claimed United expect proposals from other clubs to materialise in the coming weeks. Any cash generated from a permanent sale would be immediately reinvested in new arrivals.
Fabrizio Romano suggested Ten Hag has been inundated with glowing reports about Diogo Dalot. The Portuguese may become Ten Hag’s No 1 right-back, and signing Timber would solve the issue of who provides back-up.