AJAX’S LOSS CANNOT DIM SANCHEZ’S BRIGHT FUTURE

In a season that saw young Colombian Davinson Sanchez guide Peter Bosz’s defence to the second spot of the Eredivisie log and Europa League silver medal, the 20-year old by all standards have had it good.


Honesty commands the admission that prior to Stockholm’s final very few knew anything about the young man.

It’s so much so that the news of Lionel Messi recommending that Barcelona should do everything within their power to sign the youngster must have evaded our consciousness. You can’t really blame anyone for failing to recall an obscure name that came with an article carrying that of the Argentine.

If there was anything Europa league final taught us is that the Argentine was right. It didn’t take much time to figure out why so nor did his 18th minute deflection stop him from displaying his skills. One of the first noticeable things about the Colombian is his physical strength as Marcus Rashford will testify. He simply refused to give the English teen a breathing space and smartly nudged him off the ball time and again.

Also, his speed was not lost on the spectators of the night and that particular characteristic on a centre back is as rare as they come. You don’t get to often see Rashford out ran by a defender.

And least of all,Davinson’ssurreal confidence both on and off the ball is almost heavenly. That very clip down in the first half when it looked like Rashford was going to nick the ball away from him was simply ovation worthy.

That is why on a night the teen-team from Amsterdam fell and failed to add a trophy to their cabinet, Sanchez will do well not to wail too much because his morning joy – big move to a trophy winning-club – will show up sooner than later. Not even a defeat can blur his shining star.