Ajax will be without Anton Gaaei, Caio Henrique, Steven Berghuis, Kasper Dolberg and Daley Blind next Saturday, coach Míchel has said at the press conference ahead of the match against NEC.
Dolberg's absence comes as no surprise. The Danish striker tore his cruciate ligament on international duty last week and has undergone surgery. He is doing well, but will not play again this season.
Míchel said Berghuis is 'troubled by his old injury'. The Ajax forward already had to miss many matches last season because of a back injury.
Blind is also out with a back injury. The defender has been unavailable for Ajax for weeks, but is on his way back, the Amsterdammers' manager said.
Gaaei will not feature for Ajax on Saturday either. The Danish right-back has a knee problem. The club's Spanish manager does not know exactly what is wrong. "It needs further investigation."
Meanwhile, Caio Henrique has a thigh problem. The left-back, who arrived from AS Monaco last summer for €10 million, still came on for twenty minutes against Excelsior (2-2) before the international break.
There was better news on Aaron Bouwman. The young defender had been out with a rib injury after the hit from Ruben van Bommel in the clash with PSV (1-3), but has fully recovered. Simon Andringa and Yves Bissouma are also available.