{"id":1147960,"date":"2020-06-19T16:18:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T15:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1147960"},"modified":"2020-06-19T16:18:05","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T15:18:05","slug":"sergino-dest-transfer-next-club-barcelona-golden-boy-playing-style","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/sergino-dest-transfer-next-club-barcelona-golden-boy-playing-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Sergino Dest: The Golden Boy nominee destined “for a team like Barcelona”"},"content":{"rendered":"

This summer is set to usher another period of re-building at Dutch champions Ajax.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Erik ten Hag has already bid Hakim Ziyech a well-deserved goodbye. The Moroccan forward is set to link up with Timo Werner at Chelsea, and several of his former teammates could follow him elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Onana, Nicol\u00e1s Tagliafico and Donny van de Beek, all of whom played instrumental roles in their incredible Champions League run last year, have been linked with Europe’s heavyweights.<\/p>\n

But other, less established names are featuring in recent gossip columns. Sergi\u00f1o Dest, who only truly broke through in the unfinished 2019\/20 season, is said to have caught the eye of several ‘super-clubs’.<\/p>\n

Who is Sergino Dest?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a graduate of Ajax’s esteemed academy, it should come as no surprise to hear Dest is multifunctional. Although he’s nominally a right-back, Ten Hag has often used him on the opposite flank to varying degrees of success. His natural instinct focuses on the attacking side of his game, making Dest a perfect wing-back.<\/p>\n

He is far from consistent (his work on the backfoot needs developing). This is not unusual for a player so young but it explains why Noussair Mazraoui would often get the nod when both of them are available.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old American international can then be described as a diamond in the rough. Born and raised in Almere, there was an option for him to represent the Dutch national team, but he opted for the United States having been a regular youth international.<\/p>\n

Dest’s tremendous upside saw him recently nominated for the prestigious Golden Boy award though chances of winning (and following in the footsteps of former teammate Matthijs de Ligt) are slim with names such as Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland also on the longlist.<\/p>\n

How good is he?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dest has tremendous potential but needs to be in the right environment for it to be realised.<\/p>\n

So far, he’s made 35 appearances for the Amsterdammers in all competitions (all but two at right-back), scoring twice and creating a further six for his teammates. From those outings, he’s completed the full 90 minutes 24 times. Each occasion would see Dest spend as much time in the opposition half as his own, in keeping with the typical designs of Ten Hag, who seeks to have as many creative options as he can afford. As you’d expect, there’s a cost to his attacking endeavours, namely one-on-one defending as well as recognising threats.<\/p>\n

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?#heeaja<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/NrfpCkXsnS<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tAcnQJe8Tp<\/a><\/p>\n

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 7, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n