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By Anthony Nlebem.
Former Ajax winger, Kenneth Perez, is confident that embattled Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey will be of value to the team while noting the quality that stands him out and prefers to see him play in the left-back.
The 23-year-old defender has been a victim of heavy criticisms since he joined Ajax for a club record £19.6m (€23m) from Glasgow Rangers last July.
Bassey has come under scrutiny for his offensive weaknesses and his lack of passing ability, with club legends Wesley Sneider and Rene Van der Gijp all questioning the signing of the Nigerian.
The Nigeria international enjoyed playing time under former manager Alfred Schreuder, starting in 16 league appearances and scoring one goal, but is yet to make a single start under interim manager John Heitinga and was named on the bench during their league game against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday.
“He (Bassey) was not the saviour, but with him, you can play further from your goal and put more pressure forward,” Perez told ESPN as reported by Ajax Showtime.
“He’s got speed enough to solve it in the depths behind you. He’s just fast and strong. It’s a drama on the ball, but he’s a very good one at that sort of thing. You can very well have him with you for this kind of job.”
Meanwhile, the former Glasgow Rangers left-back in a recent interview with Ajax Show Time says he understands the high expectations and demands from the fans.
“I think it’s a wonderful club with a lot of history. When you go to a club as big as Ajax there will always be certain expectations.
“I think it’s good to set the bar high and it’s certainly high here. We also expect that of ourselves. So we also demand a lot from each other.”