Son of ex-professional
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Ajax Amsterdam has extended the contract with the son of former football star Rafael van der Vaart until 2029. As the Dutch record champions announced, Damian van der Vaart should establish himself in the second division with Ajax’s U23s. Former Leverkusen player Timothy Fosu-Mensah (27) also appears to be a prominent training guest among the club’s youth ranks.
Midfielder van der Vaart moved from Esbjerg fB to his father’s home country from Denmark in 2023 and has since played for Ajax’s U18 and U19 teams. His father became a professional at the club. Damián hasn’t managed that yet. Van der Vaart senior made more than 100 international appearances for the Netherlands and, in addition to Ajax, also played for Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Hamburger SV.
Former Leverkusen player Fosu-Mensah trains with the Ajax youth team
Ex-Bundesliga professional Fosu-Mensah will initially be training with Jong Ajax, as “Voetbal International” reports. The right-back has been without a club since leaving Leverkusen in the summer. A commitment to a new club is currently not in sight.
A permanent return to Ajax, where the Amsterdam native trained for eight years before moving to Manchester United, also seems unlikely. In the past, the Dutch record champions had also given Christian Eriksen, Lasse Schöne and the former Mainz player Anwar El Ghazi the opportunity to keep fit with their former club.
During his time at Bayer 04, Fosu-Mensah’s market value fell from 4 million euros to below the million mark. The three-time national player is currently valued at 700,000 euros.