A man who spent time in Amsterdam and Italy during his playing career expects the midfielder to move on and Matthijs de Ligt to shine in Turin
Donny van de Beek would be “perfectly suited to the Juventus midfield and Italian football in general”, says Bryan Roy, with the Ajax star being heavily linked with leading sides across Europe.
The exodus of top talent from the Eredivisie giants is expected to continue in the next window.
In the summer of 2019, on the back of a memorable campaign that delivered domestic title glory and a run to the Champions League semi-finals, Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt departed for Barcelona and Juve respectively. Chelsea have since done a deal for Hakim Ziyech and De Beek is being tipped to make his way to the exit in Amsterdam.
Former Ajax star Roy, who is now head of the club’s youth system and also spent time in Italy with Foggia during his playing days, believes the talented 23-year-old could thrive in Serie A if those in Turin win the race for his signature.
The ex-Netherlands international told TuttoJuve: “Donny would be perfectly suited to the Juventus midfield and Italian football in general. He is another of those lads from the golden generation that I know so well, as both he and Matthijs de Ligt were in my squad.
“Physically, van de Beek has always been devastating, as even from a young age he knew how to attack and defend. He was very shy, but strong on the field.
“He is a total player and specialises in pushing forward from midfield. I’d like to see him exchanging passes with Miralem Pjanic or defending alongside Rodrigo Bentancur, and in general I think he is suited to Juve’s style. If he were to leave Ajax, considering his characteristics, I think he’d do very well in Italy. I should know, as I too was very happy in Serie A.”
If De Jong were to head for the Allianz Stadium, then he would be reunited with De Ligt.
The 20-year-old has faced plenty of questions during his debut campaign with Juve, but Roy believes the promising centre-half has fared admirably and will prove to be a shrewd addition for the Bianconeri.
He said of De Ligt: “I knew his talent would overcome the criticism.
“I played in Italy, so I know how different it is from the Dutch game. In fact, I was surprised that De Ligt was able to adapt so quickly.
“Maybe it’s because he is learning the language faster, and he struck up a friendship with Stefan de Vrij at Inter. It’s a bit like I was with Aaron Winter at Lazio, we were always in contact and helped each other settle in.”
Roy added on the exit talk which has built around De Ligt of late: “He made the best decision he possibly could, which was joining Juventus.
“I’ve known Matthijs since he was 15 years old. I think these are just rumours and he’ll be with the Bianconeri for many years to come. He still needs to win three or four Serie A titles and the Champions League with Cristiano Ronaldo!”
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