Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars says it is time Bojan Krkic
shaked off his "talent" label and began to fulfill his potential after
he completed a season-long loan deal from Barcelona on Thursday.
The
22-year-old was tipped for big things after breaking through at Camp
Nou as a teenager in 2007, but his career has faltered since then and he
has spent the last two seasons on loan at AC Milan and Roma.
But
that has not stopped the Eredivisie champions from stepping in and
offering him another chance to shine and Overmars expects him to do just
that.
He told the club's official website: "I'm very happy with
the transfer. We wanted Bojan for the right wing, but he can play more
positions up front.
"Bojan is 22 now, so it's time that he
shakes of the label 'talent'. He's a team player and can score goals.
That is what we expect from him."
The Dutch giants and the Blaugrana
have enjoyed a positive relationship when it comes to transfers in
recent times, after Isaac Cuenca spent last term on loan at the
Amsterdam Arena.
And Overmars, who played for Barcelona between
2000 and 2004, believes the impact of himself and coach Frank de Boer -
also formerly of Barca - was key in securing Bojan's signature.
"Ajax plays in the Champions League and he wants to play on the highest possible level," he added.
"Even
when he was young, Ajax was a favourite club, I heard. This is an
advantage that we have and of course it helps that Frank de Boer and I
know a lot of people at Barcelona. The fact that the loan of Isaac
Cuenca (last season) was handled well gave us a good image."
The
forward revealed his regret at moving to Serie A two years ago after
being unveiled as an Ajax player and admitted he may have been better
off moving to the club sooner.
"My choices for Roma and AC Milan
were wrong. Perhaps I should have already opted for the Eredivisie back
in 2011," the attacker told De Telegraaf.
"I am a young
player and I need to get regular first team action. I cannot make
progress if I only get 18 games or so per season. I will get the chance
to take the next step in my development at Ajax."
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