Transfer Talk: Man Utd falling for Ajax ace Timber

Ajax defender Jurrien Timber has been a long-term target for Manchester United.

Those links resurfaced earlier this month when he was pictured arriving at Wembley for the FA Cup final between Manchester City and the Red Devils — fuelling speculation about a switch to Old Trafford.

And Erik ten Hag certainly has a penchant for former players, with Lisandro Martinez and Antony both swapping Amsterdam for United last summer.

As the Netherlands prepare to take on Croatia in tonight's Nations League semi-final, we consider whether Timber is next in line for a move to Manchester.

Solid performer

Timber was a reliable performer for Ajax last season, perhaps best showcased by his eye-catching displays in Europe.

In 710 continental minutes — across the Champions League and Europa League — the 21-year-old made 18 clearances, while frequently regaining possession in the middle (15) and defensive (18) thirds.

That put him inside the top four players in the Dutch giants' squad for each of those metrics — and it is a similar story when it comes to his nine interceptions and eight successful aerial duels.

These impressive statistics have earned Timber plenty of admirers, one of whom is Ten Hag.

Playing coy

Timber has refused to rule out the prospect of leaving Ajax this transfer window.

Asked about the possibility of a move, he said: "No, that's always the case around this time of year.

"Unfortunately, I can't say much about it yet. I don't mean there's nothing going on, but I can't tell you anything yet."

That somewhat cryptic response will have done little to dampen speculation around the full-back's future.

Modern defender

Timber is excellent at playing out from the back — as is typical of most Ajax academy graduates.

Ten Hag requires this trait from his defenders, so will be well aware of the 15-cap international's impressive record when it comes to distribution.

If we focus on his European performances, Timber completed more passes (585) with a greater degree of accuracy (93.75%) than all of his team-mates last term.

A legend's advice

Dutch icon and former Ajax star Marco van Basten has advised Timber to stay in Amsterdam for another year.

He said: "You shouldn't go somewhere where you can only participate, but to a club where you are also decisive.

"You can already see this year how difficult it is when you have to do it all on your own. 

"You were now among other defenders who were not so good and now you have a different year than last year — last season you were good, but now you have a lot of problems."

However, both Ajax and Timber may struggle to resist the allure of a sizeable bid from Old Trafford chiefs, or another European giant, in the coming months.

Semi-final awaits

In the meantime, Timber is gearing up for the Netherlands' Nations League semi-final against Croatia this evening.

He is already an established performer at national team level, having racked up 390 minutes of action at the World Cup in Qatar.

Ajax's No2 impressed on the biggest stage, making more interceptions (10) than all but three players at the tournament.

A similar impact during this international break will only boost the clamour for Timber's services.