Kudus: Ajax Amsterdam coach Schreuder keen to keep Ghana midfielder amid Everton links

Ajax Amsterdam coach Alfred Schreuder has expressed his desire to keep Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus despite the player’s frustration at a lack of playing time.

Kudus has been heavily linked with a transfer to Premier League outfit Everton as Frank Lampard looks for attacking reinforcements for his struggling side with a loan move with an option to buy being mooted.

However, Schreuder is keen to keep the attacking midfielder who has made 46 appearances while scoring six goals for Ajax since joining from Danish club Nordsjaelland two years ago.

“I haven’t heard anything. I think he should not leave,” said Schreuder as reported by Liverpoolecho. “You can see that he is important. We need a lot of good players,” he added.

The 22-year-old has been frustrated by his limited opportunities this season, having played just 23 minutes in Ajax’s three league games, with academy graduate Kenneth Taylor being preferred by Schreuder.

Kudus played 20 minutes in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam, having come on as a second-half substitute, but was not impressed with the development, leading to a meeting with his coach regarding his future.

“We spoke with him three times, because he also thinks he should play. Of course, I see that he is disappointed now and then. It’s about whether you can control that emotion for the team. He handles that well,” said Schreuder.

Kudus had an impressive pre-season with Ajax, scoring three goals in as many games before netting in the Dutch Super Cup match which the Eredivisie champions lost 5-3 to archrivals PSV Eindhoven at the end of July.

The midfielder, who has five goals in 16 appearances for Ghana, was given plenty of opportunities by Schreuder’s predecessor Erik ten Hag before he left to join Manchester United at the end of last season.

Ajax have been keen to hold onto their players especially after losing defender Lisandro Martinez to United, striker Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund, midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and fullback Noussair Mazraoui, both to Bayern Munich, and left-back Nicolas Tagliafico to Lyon.

Brazilian winger Antony is reportedly agitating for a move to the Red Devils and was left out of the squad for Sunday’s match.