Shortly after the break, Kenneth Taylor gave the go-ahead for a catch-up race by Ajax against Fortuna Sittard with a well-watched shot. “I heard the stadium speaker say that it was not me, but Davy Klaassen who made the 1-1,” said Taylor after the victory of the national champion in Sittard (2-3). “But I just saw my name on the scoresheet. That’s only nice for me.”
20-year-old Taylor is the youngest player to score Ajax’s first goal in a new season in the Eredivisie since Ryan Babel, who kicked off the 2006-2007 football year of the Amsterdammers at the age of 19 with the 1-0 against RKC Waalwijk. . The midfielder played the entire match in Sittard. Trainer Alfred Schreuder allowed experienced midfielders such as Steven Berghuis and Davy Klaassen to play only half.
Erik ten Hag’s successor is very satisfied with Taylor for the time being. “He almost never loses the ball and can also play as a defensive midfielder,” said Schreuder. “But I think I prefer to see him as a left half, as a replacement for the departed Ryan Gravenberch.”
winter break
Taylor is to this day the same age as his predecessor, who now plays for Bayern Munich. Trainer Ten Hag wanted to rent him out during the winter break of the previous season. “But I didn’t feel much for that,” says the midfielder who is almost two-legged. “At Ajax I train with top players. That is good for my development.”
Almost every season there is a youth player who plays in Ajax’s basic formation. “This has got to be my season,” Taylor says. “I will do everything I can, although I know that the competition is great in our midfield. But that is only good. That keeps everyone sharp and ultimately makes our team better.”
First half
Ajax could not convince in the first half against Fortuna. The home team only got into trouble after Brian Brobbey came in. The striker prepared Devyne Rensch’s 1-2 and made the 1-3 himself. “We know what he can do,” Taylor said. “But Tadic can also play well as a striker. We played maybe a little less in the first half, but I still had the feeling that it would be okay.”
Taylor also seemed to make the 1-1 before half time, but referee Serdar Gözübüyük rejected that goal. “Perhaps I should have pushed that boy a little softer in his back,” says Taylor, who is not worried about the fact that Ajax has already conceded seven goals in two matches – with PSV and Fortuna Sittard. “I’m especially happy that we won here. We can do much better, but I see it all going well.”