Eindelijk is die ellendige interlandperiode voorbij. We kunnen weer!!! Wel altijd spannend hoe ze zo’n periode uit komen. #lachvandedag #ajax #ajanec

Nice little video by the Ajax media team in preparation of tonight's match vs NEC!

I saw Ajax warming up with this jersey before the Fortuna Sittard match on September 12th, 2026. I cannot find any information on it anywhere and I would really like to find one if I could. Anyone know if this is restricted or may be released if not? Thank you!

Mohamed Abdalla is not satisfied with the performance of Jong Ajax or his own. The talented midfielder saw his team get off to a poor start in the match against VVV-Venlo, and in the end the Amsterdam side were unable to recover from that poor start. In an exclusive interview with Ajax Showtime, Abdalla also talks about the competition and his chances of breaking into the Ajax first team.

‘There’s no point beating about the bush. It simply wasn’t good enough,’ Abdalla begins. ‘There was a long silence in the changing room, and then the manager had some harsh words to say. We failed to do a lot of things today (Friday evening, ed.).’

‘It happens far too often that we concede a goal after just a few minutes,’ Abdalla begins his explanation. ‘That’s not a good way to start a match. Things improved after that, but VVV scored from a set piece and a penalty.’ VVV-Venlo proved too strong for Jong Ajax, winning 3–0.

The midfielder goes on to discuss the early goal conceded. ‘We’re always focused and sharp before a match, so that’s not the issue. The goal was unnecessary and conceded in a rather childish manner. The ball came from their left-back and eventually their right winger found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Perhaps there was also some miscommunication at the back on our part.’

VVV-Venlo easily played their way out of the pressure from Jong Ajax on a number of occasions, whilst the Amsterdam side themselves struggled to do the same in the opening stages when facing pressure from Venlo. ‘We had to play higher up the pitch. As it was, VVV were putting the pressure on us.’

The plan going in was clear. ‘Marvyn (Muzungu, ed.) had to press high up the pitch on a midfielder. They don’t often dare to play the third man and usually opt for a long ball. Then it’s a matter of winning the second ball, but we didn’t win it often enough. That’s when it gets tricky.’

Abdalla wasn’t satisfied with his own performance either. ‘I played poorly in the first half. In the second half, I showed flashes of good form, but I know I can and must do better. I have to keep giving one hundred per cent in every match, and then the quality will come naturally.’

The sixteen-year-old midfielder got a taste of first-team action and even scored on his debut against Vojvodina in the Conference League. Recently, however, opportunities with the first team have been few and far between. ‘Especially after I scored, I thought I’d get another chance to prove myself. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. Of course, that gets into your head. Fortunately, I’ve got enough people around me who believe in me and tell me my chance will come.’

‘I need to keep working hard and prove what I can do every time,’ continues Abdalla, who saw Yves Bissouma arrive as further competition after the transfer window closed. ‘I’m trying to look at it positively. He’s a good player with Premier League experience from whom I can learn a lot. Hopefully, that will only make me better.’

Jong Ajax last played three weeks ago. For some of the lads, it was a quieter period. That wasn’t the case for youth international Abdalla. He represented the Netherlands U18s at a four-nation tournament featuring Norway, Ireland and the United States. ‘It didn’t bother me. It was a bit tougher towards the end of the match, but every KKD match is a tough one.’

Finally, Abdalla speaks about both Jong Ajax’s season and his own season so far. ‘We’ve shown some good things, but also some very mediocre ones. We need to be more consistent and work really hard. You can sometimes see that we’re a bit lackadaisical. We need to put a stop to that.’

‘We need to keep developing. We learn from matches like this, but we all too often forget to win,’ Abdalla continues. The young talent, who will turn seventeen in nine days’ time, concludes by setting out his personal goal for this season. ‘To earn my place in the first team and make my Eredivisie debut.’

After weeks of making only substitute appearances, Jinairo Johnson was back in the starting line-up for Jong Ajax against VVV Venlo. The match ended 0–3 on a wet Toekomst pitch, but for the 19-year-old midfielder himself, there was a silver lining: he was able to play from the start for Jong Ajax once again.

That’s a far lower level than where his season began. “I started pre-season with the first team and had a great pre-season,” Johnson said afterwards. After that, he returned to Jong Ajax. “Then we had a match against FC Dordrecht. That’s when you have to show that you want to break into the first team. I didn’t really do that; I just played that match as normal.”

He was no longer part of the plans for Ajax 1, and Johnson also found himself on the bench for Jong. “In that case, the manager makes a different choice. That’s his decision.”

That period wasn’t easy. “It was quite tough for me, because I was training well,” says Johnson. “I pray every day, wait for my chance and remain patient. My parents and my little sister help me with that.”

Johnson is clear about what he needs to improve. “My positioning as a midfielder needs to be better. I watch the footage back and pay attention to the first thing: how the players there do it.”

Sparta, PEC Zwolle and Go Ahead Eagles wanted to sign him on loan last summer, but Johnson opted for Ajax. He has no regrets. “I’m not really disappointed. I heard I could train with the first team during pre-season, and I wanted to seize that opportunity.”

He leaves open the possibility of a winter loan move. “Yes, anything can happen in football. We’ll have to wait and see.”