Mohamed Ihattaren Returns to Action with Ajax After Year-Long Absence

Mohamed Ihattaren made his first appearance and first minutes with Ajax Amsterdam in the 62nd minute, replacing Ar’jany Martha. "He hasn’t played football for a long time and I’m happy for him that he was able to make his debut with this beautiful jersey," said John Heitinga, coach of Ajax Amsterdam’s under-19 team, to ESPN. "He’s back on the pitch. It’s about making agreements with oneself and sticking to them. That’s what we call discipline. It’s great that he was able to take this step now," he added.

Juventus loaned Mohamed Ihattaren to Ajax for a period of one year running until December 31, 2022. The Moroccan player has therefore joined Ajax’s B team to work on his physical condition. The one who came through the PSV youth academy - more than fifty competition matches with the first team - had problems with coach Roger Schmidt and had to leave Eindhoven last summer. Taken back and then sold by Juventus to Sampdoria, he will not have played a single match for this club.

Ajax coach Erik ten Hag has never been soft on Mohamed. "If you can’t run, then we stop. I mean run at the same level as the Eredivisie or the Champions League. If you can’t do that, then we stop everything," the coach warned.