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Calvin Bassey is delighted Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder trusted him to the extent of handing him his Eredivisie debut away at Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday.
The Super Eagles’ versatile defender had to wait for his debut in the Dutch top-tier after being sent off in the Super Cup against PSV.
He missed league matches against Fortuna Sittard and Groningen, but last weekend he was in the first team as the champions won 1-0 at Sparta Stadium, courtesy of a Steven Bergwijn strike.
“I thank God, the team, and the manager that he fielded me. It is a blessing to make my starting and league debut for this club,” Bassey told Ajax Show Time.
“I keep working to improve every game. I’m trying to learn and get better.”
Against Sparta, the 22-year-old played in central defence alongside Jurrien Timber and opined his new team did not play well as they might have wished, adding that the win was the most important thing.
“It was a reasonable game; the first half was better and in the second half we fell back a bit,” Bassey added.
“In the end, we did well by taking the three points. In some matches, you don’t play your best game, but it is important that you win and get the three points. We did that well.”
The youngster added that his teammates and manager Alfred Schreuder helped him to adapt quickly.
“It is about different positioning, the spaces, and which passes we want to give. Of course, the game looks different from the side than it does from another perspective. They try to help me and make it easier for me,” Bassey stated.
“Ajax is known for tiki-taka football. You have to move into other rooms to receive the ball. It’s about learning and building connections with the team. I have to learn what certain players feel comfortable with. We have to work on it every day.”
Bassey will hope to keep his place this weekend when Ajax play Utrecht.