AC Milan head Man Utd in the race for young Ajax talent

For a few seasons much of the talk relating to Ajax has related to how long they would be able to keep hold of Christian Eriksen, but all attentions may now turn to another young Dane.

Victor Fischer’s initial breakthrough came when he scored the goal that confirmed Ajax’s victory over PSV in early December and he has since proved that he’s the man for the big occasion with a double in the 3-0 Klassieker triumph over Feyernoord.

These displays have helped bring Fischer to the forefront of the minds of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with AC Milan thought to be slightly at the head of the queue for his signature, ahead of Manchester United and Manchester City.

Although comparisons can often be a bit over the top, there is a strong possibility that the 18-year-old has the capacity to take to the world stage as fellow Dane Michael Laudrup did previously, as there are notable similarities to the way the pair play.

He has composure beyond his years when finding himself in front of goal and like Laudrup, he often starts as a wide playmaker before roaming between the lines and occupying all four of the forward positions in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

This would suit Milan perfectly, as they have seemingly settled on this formation since around November, before which they stuck to a 4-3-1-2 system or tinkered slightly with three in defence.

Fischer’ movement could work well with Stephan El Shaarawy and the pair may prove ideal suppliers to Mario Balotelli.

This formation best suits Fischer and it is hard to see where he would naturally fit in at Old Trafford, bearing in mind the problems Sir Alex Ferguson already has in fitting in his attacking assets.

With Ajax largely mimicking the Barcelona way of fluid, interchangeable forwards, Fischer is arguably in the best place to aid his development at present and the club are certainly on the up as they chase a team capable of being as competitive as they were in the mid-1990s.

A Europa League victory would help Ajax gauge their progress in this regard and 33/1 may prove a value bet that they achieve this feat.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date