A great future awaits Jinairo Johnson, predicts Henk Spaan. The sixteen-year-old midfielder of Ajax Under 17 was named the best player of the Future Cup on Monday, the tournament won by the Amsterdam youth team.
Johnson made it 1-0 against Partizan Belgrade in the final (2-1 win). Earlier in the tournament, Johnson also scored twice against Pachuca. The youngster won the Noah Gesser Trophy as top scorer of the Future Cup and was also crowned Player of the Tournament. He received that prize from Ricardo van Rhijn. With his election, Johnson followed in the footsteps of Naci Ünüvar, Ryan Gravenberch, Riqui Puig, Matthijs de Ligt, Abdelhak Nouri and Davy Klaassen, among others.
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Spaan believes that Johnson will play for Ajax 1 in the future. “He is the only one for whom I would raise my hand as a future first team player at Ajax: Jinairo Johnson, rightly the best player of this tournament,” writes the journalist and well-known Ajax fan. Het Parool.
Trainer Michael Lamey of Ajax Under 17 thinks the selection for his pupil is more than justified. “I think he has shown why he deserves the title of best player. He can play at center back, in midfield and even up front. He is just very complete.”
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