Ajax coach Míchel defends underperformer: ‘He played well’

Ajax coach Míchel Sanchez said at the post-match press conference that Jofre Torrents had not played badly against Hajduk Split on Thursday evening, despite the 2-1 defeat.

In Split, Ajax fell behind in the first half when Abdoulie Sanyang scored the opener in the 37th minute after a fine move.

Ajax improved in the second half. Davy Klaassen finished a cross from Thilo Kehrer superbly to make it 1-1.

A poor pass from Torrents allowed Hajduk Split to retake the lead through Marin Soticek two minutes later.

Afterwards, Míchel felt the Spaniard had not played badly. "He is a professional Ajax player. We have confidence in him. He made a mistake for the second goal we conceded, but he did not play badly."

Torrents joined on a free transfer from FC Barcelona last summer. Barcelona could still receive up to around €5.5 million through performance bonuses/variables if certain targets are met.

Under the deal, Barça are also entitled to 50 per cent of the proceeds if Ajax sell Torrents.