Martin Keown has admitted that he is concerned Tottenham will not be able to stop Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong when the two sides meet on Tuesday night.
The Dutchman has been in stunning form this season, securing a big money move to Barcelona this summer off the back of it, and Keown believes stifling him could be the key to Spurs getting a result.
Writing in a column for the Daily Mail, he said: “Better teams than Tottenham have tried and failed to stop Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong. Against Real Madrid in the round of 16, he ran Luka Modric ragged. Juventus tried to man-mark him in the quarter-finals but they couldn’t get near.
“This guy looks a future superstar, like Sergio Busquets with pace. He is Ajax’s conductor. He will drop so deep that he will go back into his own box to get the ball off the goalkeeper if he has to. Then, when he has it, he is smart in possession and plays punishing passes.
“How do Spurs stop him? I’m not sure they can. De Jong is one of a few special talents for Ajax and it is little wonder Barcelona have already made their move for him. These players must come into training and giggle about which European giant they’ve been linked with that day.
“All the big clubs will want them and this might be the last time we see them all together. They will want to do something special while they can.”
Keown predicts a 1-1 draw.
OPINION
Keown is right in the sense that de Jong is the heartbeat of this Ajax side. He is clever and tactically astute, far beyond what you would expect of a normal 21-year-old, and the manner in which he glides around the centre of midfield is a joy to behold. He can pass, but he can also run, and that makes him doubly hard to suppress. Get tight to him and he’ll pop off a pass and leave you for dust looking for a return. Give him space and he’ll look long or get his head down and start running at you. De Jong has every chance of becoming one of the best players on the continent. Spurs could be really lacking in central midfield, especially if Moussa Sissoko is ruled out through injury, and the threat de Jong poses could end up being a deciding factor in a match that looks for all the world as if it could be a classic.