Ajax’s World Cup visitors who stranded in the group stage of the tournament will join the selection again this week. They are Dusan Tadic (Serbia), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana), Edson Alvarez and Jorge Sanchez (Mexico).
Alvarez and Sanchez have already reported to De Toekomst today, an Ajax spokesman said. After a goalless draw against Poland and a defeat against Argentina (2-0), the victory over Saudi Arabia (2-1) was not enough for Mexico to advance to the last sixteen. The team eventually finished third in Group C.
Gate closers
Mohammed Kudus and Dusan Tadic are expected back at the first later this week. Kudus managed to score high in Qatar, including two goals against South Korea (3-2 win Ghana) and a great match against Portugal (2-3 loss). Because the match against Uruguay was lost 0-2, Ghana finished last in Group H.
Dusan Tadic also finished fourth in the group with his team. The captain had a difficult start with Serbia: Brazil lost 2-0 and the match against Cameroon ended in 3-3. Serbia was allowed to dream of a sequel in the tournament in the third game. But a 2-1 lead against Switzerland was handed over before the break (2-3).
Christmas break
The return to the training field will be short-lived. Ajax’s World Cup visitors have been allowed to celebrate a two-week Christmas holiday next week. The rest of the Ajax players get the week before Christmas off.
All Ajax players who are still active at the World Cup, play for the Orange squad. Because the Dutch national team will play a quarterfinal against Argentina at least on Friday, they will probably not return to De Toekomst until after Christmas.
Second half of the season
The first of Ajax has already started the preparation for the second half of the season. Last week, Alfred Schreuder’s team trained for a week in the Spanish seaside resort of Marbella. A practice match against the English Blackburn Rovers was lost 0-2 there.
The next competitive match will be played by Ajax on January 8. In that Sunday’s premier league match, NEC is the opponent. The team from Nijmegen are currently ninth in the Eredivisie. Ajax is currently second and is three points behind leader Feyenoord.