He was one of the great talents of Dutch football, but he arrived at Juve and disappeared. He has not been lucky at Sampdoria either, and after his loan spell at the Genoese club was cut short, the 'Vecchia Signora' have decided to send him back to the Eredivisie. He will play for Ajax for the next 12 months.

Mohammed Ihattaren returns to the Netherlands, just six months after leaving PSV to join Juventus. Signed in the summer, he was immediately loaned to Sampdoria, in the hope that he would get his first taste of calcio.

But that has not been the case. It has taken him longer than expected to adapt to Italian football, and his loan spell at the Genoa club was cut short without him even playing a single game. He was only called up by his coach for one match, against Inter, and did not come off the bench.

Ihattaren, one of the last 40 finalists for the Golden Boy 2021, felt he had hit rock bottom, and there was even speculation that he would retire at the age of just 19.

But no, he will continue to play football, and he will do so at Ajax. For the time being, as Marc Overmars, the Amsterdam club's sporting director, has explained, he will do so in the reserve team, until he recovers his form and competitive rhythm after six months without playing.

The agreement between Ajax and Juve for the talented and versatile midfielder is for a twelve-month loan until the end of the year, with an option to buy. He will join his new team as soon as he is out of quarantine after testing positive.

January 30, 2022

M. Ihattaren

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