Most Ajax fans will want to forget about the 2023/24 Eredivisie campaign and move on to the new season.
However, fans of the Amsterdam giants will have an interest in Euro2024, as several of the club’s players will be representing their countries this summer in Germany. Here are the Ajax players who we could be seeing at the European Championships:
Brian Brobbey (The Netherlands)
The 22-year-old was among Ajax’s highest-performing players in a season of turmoil for the team. The youngster scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Amsterdam outfit, including scoring 18 times in the Eredivisie.
With his stellar performances and impressive goal tally, it’s no surprise that there’s been talk of Brian Brobbey making a move to the likes of Premier League Arsenal and Manchester United.
Brobbey is very much in the early stages of his international career, as he has made just two international appearances for the Oranje. His potential will undoubtedly lead to him adding to his caps tally at Euro2024.
Steven Bergwijn (The Netherlands)
Like Brobbey, Bergwijn was among the few Ajax players who shone last season in the Dutch top flight. The 26-year-old scored 12 goals and also produced four assists in the Eredivisie.
He started his international career in 2018, so the versatile winger is far more experienced in international football than his fellow attacker. He has made 33 appearances and scored eight goals.
Although he has yet to shine in a major senior tournament, Bergwijn won the Player of the Tournament award in the under-17 European Championships in 2014.
Borna Sosa (Croatia)
After moving to the Amsterdam club last summer, the full-back struggled to get first-team action with Ajax. Sosa started just ten Eredivisie games and made six substitute appearances in the Dutch top flight.
The former Stuttgart star is known for his attacking ability. In his debut campaign in the Eredivisie, he produced four assists. Sosa made his international debut for Croatia in 2021, and he has won 20 appearances for his country, scoring just one goal.
He faces significant competition for his starting position at Euro2024, although he will likely be the team’s first-choice left-back. His versatility could well mean that he may prove highly useful to Croatian head coach Zlatko Dalic, as he could also play higher up the pitch.
Josip Sutalo (Croatia)
Sutalo is another Croatian international who joined Ajax last summer. The centre-back produced a decent debut campaign in the Dutch capital, making 23 appearances in the Eredivisie.
He has won 14 international caps for Croatia, including helping his country finish third in the World Cup 2022. A year later, Sutalo was part of the squad that finished third in the Nations League.
Sutalo could well be a backup to Josip Gvardiol and Domagoj Vida in the heart of the defence, although he could start if Gvardiol starts at left-back in place of Borna Sosa. Sutalo is likely to feature at some point in the tournament.
Ahmetcan Kaplan (Turkey)
The young centre-back played a bit-part for Ajax in season 2023/24, making just 11 appearances for the Amsterdam giants. He had mixed fortunes last season.
Kaplan has not yet made a senior first-team appearance for his national team. However, he is highly rated in his home country, and he has made 29 appearances at youth levels for Turkey.
He could well play a part for his country at some point at Euro2024. From his performances for Ajax, it seems unlikely that he will let anybody down if national team head coach Vincenzo Montella calls upon him.
Players who failed to make it
Jordan Henderson (England)
The former Liverpool midfielder missed out on England’s 26-man Euro2024 despite being a regular member of the Three Lions squad over the last decade, picking up 81 caps and scoring three goals.
Henderson was in England’s 2022 World Cup squad. However, a move from Liverpool to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq last summer didn’t work out.
The veteran midfielder moved to Ajax in the January transfer window. The ex-Sunderland midfielder made nine Eredivisie appearances and produced some solid displays.
The competition for places in the centre of the England midfield was fierce, and in the end, Three Lions head coach Gareth Southgate decided to omit Henderson from his squad for this summer’s competition.
Kenneth Taylor (The Netherlands)
The young midfielder is considered to have great potential. He had a solid season for Ajax, scoring five goals in 33 Eredivisie matches last season.
Taylor has previously been involved with the Oranje, winning four caps so far. However, his last international appearance came in 2023, so it is little surprise that he is not in the Netherlands Euro2204 squad.
There is still time for the 22-year-old to make his mark on the international game in the future.
Jorrel Hato (The Netherlands)
The highly-rated young defender has been excellent in the Dutch top flight. However, at 18 years old, Euro2024 has come too soon for the youngster, as he has only earned one cap for the Netherlands.
Hato will undoubtedly play a big part in the Oranje’s future at major tournaments. For now, though, Hato will be enjoying a break from football ahead of the new Eredivisie campaign.
Which Ajax players are you looking forward to watching the most at Euro2024?