It's Going Down: Who Is Manchester United Target Jurrien Timber?

Having just won back-to-back Eredivisie titles, could he reunite with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford?
12:00, 26 May 2022

It is the dawning of yet another era at Manchester United as new manager Erik ten Hag is here. He has carried out his first interview and press conference and he has been getting himself familiar with Old Trafford and Carrington.

The Dutchman is eager to get to work on the biggest job of his career to date and along with the board, discussions have already been held regarding this summer’s recruitment drive. Much has already been said about the players that the club should or are confirmed to be interested in moving on and as such this invites the speculation surrounding the players Ten Hag will be looking to bring in to help shape and implement his philosophy at Old Trafford.

The new boss comes to the club off the back of a title-winning campaign with Ajax in the Eredivisie, having worked with talented players, who will of course be linked with a switch to the Red Devils now that their former boss is at the helm. In most cases, the speculation is just all it is but sometimes there is a lot of substance in what is floating around the media. In this instance, Ajax defender Jurrien Timber is one of the players heavily linked with a move to Manchester United and it is a signing that Ten Hag reportedly wants done swiftly.

For those unfamiliar with the player, Timber is a 20-year-old centre-half who has been a key part of Ten Hag’s Ajax side over the last two seasons, winning back-to-back league titles. He may still be rather fresh to the senior game but he already shows a level of maturity and composure beyond his years, keeping 21 clean sheets in the Eredivisie in 2021-22. His impressive start to life in senior football has already seen him make his international debut for the Netherlands, making six appearances so far. He is a promising young talent who will be on the radar of most clubs in Europe and if United could sign him, it would be the perfect start to Ten Hag’s tenure and set the tone for what is undoubtedly a huge transfer window.

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Timber is a 5'10 commanding central defender who is quick and alert to deal with any danger and what makes him more appealing for United and Ten Hag is that he has been utilised as a right–back on occasion and has adapted comfortably. And with United reportedly to off-load Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a move for Timber makes even more sense - not that it would be his primary position should he transfer to Manchester United.

Another interesting quality regarding the centre-half is that he has shown he can contribute goals and assists. Last term he scored three and assisted twice in the league, and while goals from a defender are expected given the chances from set-pieces, his assists will catch the eye of United supporters.

Given the evolution of the game in recent years, in which defenders are supposed to offer more with moving the ball up the pitch, Timber possesses these desirable attributes. He boasted a 91.5% pass success rate in the league and he is key in how Ten Hag likes to play his football - it is no wonder he is a reported priority target for United this summer. Given the relationship that he has with Ten Hag, it is fair to assume that Old Trafford would be high up on his next destination list if he were to leave Amsterdam in the coming months. The United boss is a big fan and tipped him to become a captain. 

Should Timber become one of Manchester United’s first additions of the Ten Hag era, he could well be set to become skipper down the line under the guidance of the person that will know his potential better than anyone else.

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