Former Dutch international Marco van Basten has questioned the attitude of rumoured Tottenham Hotspur target Ryan Gravenberch.
The Ajax midfielder admitted after his side’s 9-0 thrashing of Eredivisie newcomers SC Cambuur last week, that his concentration can become impacted when his side take the lead early on in a fixture.
Gravenberch failed to find the back of the net during the fixture despite playing the full ninety minutes at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Van Basten, who scored an impressive 152 goals in 172 games for the Dutch giants during his playing career before going on to enjoy similar success at AC Milan far from impressed with what the 19-year-old had to say and even suggested that he would not be able to switch off in a similar manner if he moved to play in a top European league.
According to Calciomercato, claimed earlier this month that Tottenham are already weighing up whether to sign Gravenberch next year, with managing director of football Fabio Paratici prepared to go up against his former employer Juventus.
Van Basten told ZiggoSport: “I think this is really strange, he is 18 years old (correction, he’s 19). When you’re 18, you can’t say this.
“If you’re not motivated by then, what are you going to do when you’re 22? I think it’s really inappropriate.
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“If you excel in the Dutch league every week, okay. But how many good games has he played? A few, and then you’re already stuffed?
“I’m curious how he’ll perform if he ends up in a major European league. Then, you don’t have time to fall asleep.”
SpursWeb Opinion
Tottenham have had previous success of securing former Ajax in the past with Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen both having played for the Dutch side before making the switch to North London.
While Gravenberch is highly-rated, the arrival of Pape Matar Sarr next summer will help to boost the club’s midfield options, while the priority has to be on securing a creative midfielder.
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