The Rising Defender Ready To Shine For Ajax

10 months ago

Ajax achieved 2021-22 eventful. The Dutch giants won their 36th Eredivisie title after an intense battle with PSV Eindhoven. Erik Ten Hag, their highly successful coach, will be leaving for Manchester United. Marc Overmars was forced to step down after an ethical scandal. However, there is one constant factor in all of this. Standard for promoting young talent.

Tin Hag was not shy about using players from the famous youth academy. Jorian Timber, Ryan Gravenburch and Nassir Mazraoui were among the most prominent names on the team’s squad.

However, there were players from Jong Ajax as well. One of the outstanding talents in this regard was Devin Wrench. The centre-back, who can also play as a right-back, is ready to join the first team on a regular basis, on the other side of Kenneth Taylor.

Regardless of who takes over as the new director, they definitely want Rensch. Furthermore, with the news that Gravenbrich, Mazraoui and even Timber may be leaving soon, it presents a perfect opportunity for Devyne Rensch.

Playing career so far

Devyne Rensch began his football career with amateur club VV Unicum. It’s from the famous class of 2003, which has rising stars across Europe such as Ricardo Pepe, Luca Nitze, Florian Wirts and others. Rench moved to Ajax in 2016, where he has been associated with the junior teams.

Internationally, Reinsch’s career took off in 2017 with the Netherlands national under-15 team. He would represent every age group, making his debut orange in 2021.

Rench’s progress with Ajax has been going great too. The centre-back was well received by everyone, which led to him being awarded the Abdelhak Nouri (Best Young Talent) award in the 2019-20 season. He would play several matches for Ajax in the 2020-21 pre-season, before making his official debut in November 2020.

Rench will continue to spend time between the first team and Jong Ajax. Therefore, he played 37 matches for Ajax during the last two seasons. Moreover, Wrench has also had a strong presence in the offensive sense as he has scored seven goals and five assists between the two teams so far.

Tin Hag gave great opportunities to the youngsters and Wrench made the most of them.

statistics

Devin Wrench isn’t the tallest, standing at 5’10”. However, he makes up for this with excellent positioning and tactical awareness. Against more fantasy attackers, Wrench has been exceptional, winning 55% of his duels with an average of 7.6 per 90.

Average passing accuracy is 87% in 2021-22. Moreover, he does not slack with the ball at his feet, and completes half of his dribbling.

As mentioned, its structure sometimes makes it more difficult to win air duels, winning only 46%. Winch makes 2.60 tackles and 2.04 interceptions per 90, which is very good for an upcoming player.

Ajax’s 4-2-3-1 system relies heavily on the participation of defenders in starting attacks. Therefore, it is not surprising that Ten Hag developed Rensch in this regard.

Moreover, looking at how the 19-year-old can also play as a right-back, he has developed his running style. Rensch regularly joins Antony in attacks, leading the wings up and down. However, it’s not just about numbers with Rensch.

What stats don’t say

Saeed Awali, Head of Youth Development, calls him a “real Ajax defender”. This goes to highlight the many aspects of the overall Rensch game. Talking to Allgemeine Dagblad, Tin Hag was a glowing praise,

โ€œHe has great vision, athleticism and technique, so he has a number of traits to have an amazing career. I am proud that he is making these strides at such a young age, although he must remain humble and have to keep pushing. If he does, he can go further. Much more, even in a short period of time.โ€

It has great speed, which makes it easier to overlap the bottom right. Talking to Goal, Wrench revealed,

“I’m a brave player. I dribble a lot and get past my opponent. Defensively, I have good positional awareness.

So, it’s clear how confident Wrench is in his game. This is the exact kind of mindset that helps a career grow by leaps and bounds.

What makes it special

It’s not the present, but the future that will truly challenge Devin Wrench. Timber is on the transfer wish list of many clubs, while Mazraoui is heading to Bayern Munich. This leaves Wrench taking the mantle of the back line. He is one of the youngest players to have a regular playing time. Therefore, the pressure will continue to mount.

So far, Rensch has shown impressive growth which indicates that he is ready to take on the additional responsibilities. Rench could easily fill in at right-back, following the likes of Sergino Dest and Mazraoui.

Moreover, he can also cover the position, along with Lisandro Martinez, if he leaves Timber. Ajax’s philosophy that players have well-developed comprehensive skills will pay off as their career continues.

So, expect Rinch to continue down the same path if more experienced Leave teammates. That’s the beauty with the Ajax, they always have someone ready to take charge and are ready to throw them in the deep end after proper training.

Ability

Devyne Rensch has a contract with Ajax until 2025. However, he is unlikely to see the full contract. There is no doubt that many top clubs will come to turn for him.

Manchester United have been linked with a whole host of Ajax players, given that Ten Hag has joined them. However, it is unlikely that Wrench will be on the move now.

Moreover, Barcelona has also been promoted as a strong possibility. For Blaugrana d’Etat in their books, the relationship between the two clubs is legendary. Therefore, it can end up as a viable option as well.

For now, Wrench will be celebrating the league title and will continue to focus on the 2022-23 season.

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