Ajax striker looks forward to Ibrox....

[Boab 73]

http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Ne...1076048,00.html

Different Klaas

AJAX striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar is seen by many to be one of the most promising young players in European football and the 23-year-old is looking forward to coming to Ibrox to showcase his talent on Tuesday night.

The Hunter, as he is also known, is already being compared to Holland legend Marco can Basten due to his prowess in front of goal and he alone will provide a massive test for the Gers' new look backline ahead of the new season.

Standing six-foot in height with explosive pace and exquisite control it is hardly surprising that the Ajax youngster is so highly rated and his ability to hit the net is equally impressive.

Despite failing to establish himself at PSV Eindhoven as a teenager Huntelaar was to be loaned out to De Graafschap to gain experience but after nine games failed to score.

Another move to First Division side AGOVV in the summer of 2003 at the age of 19 was to prove more beneficial and it was here that his talent started to win him a host of admirers.

He was an instant success, scoring 26 times in 25 league appearances to become the league's top scorer and this paved the way for a move Eredivisie side SC Heereveen after he turned down the opportunity to sign an extension to his contract with PSV.

The 100k Euros deal to Heerenveen was to be a steal as he went on to score 17 goals in 31 matches for his new club in 2004/05 and followed this by netting 17 times in 15 matches in the first-half of the 2005/06 campaign.

This electric form earned him a 9million Euros mid-season transfer to Ajax where he has, not surprisingly, became a fans' favourite.

On the international stage Huntelaar has also excelled, bagging 18 goals in 21 under-21 games for his country and helping his side win the UEFA under-21 European Football Championships in 2006 as the tournament's top scorer.

Having also scored the first ever goal at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in July 2006, the hugely talented youngster is now ready to set Ibrox alight next Tuesday and is looking for his side to put in a first-class display.

He said: "I am looking forward to playing Rangers very much.

"The atmosphere in Scotland and England is fantastic and I always really enjoy playing there, in front of the great fans.

"I think it will be a very special night.

"It is always more interesting for a football player to play against big clubs and Rangers is a very big club.

"Although it is just a friendly there is still a lot at stake as both teams will want to perform well. Klaas Jan Huntelaar

"I know a few of the Rangers' players and I think it is going to be a very useful match for us."

Henk Ten Cate's Ajax side lost out on the League Championship on goal difference to PSV on the final day of the 2006/07 season but did manage to take the Johan Cruyff Shield and Dutch Cup back to the club's bulging trophy cabinets.

Ajax will now be one of the seeded teams to join the Champions League in the third qualifying round next month and Huntelaar expects big things for his team in the next 12 months.

He said: "I want to win the championship in Holland, qualify for the Champions League group stages and go as far as possible in that competition too.

"Getting there is incredibly important for a young team like ours.

"Last season we missed the championship by one goal, which was really disappointing, but then we went on to win the Dutch Cup and we qualified for the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League. We ended the season on a high note."

With Dutch legends such as Jaap Stam and Edgar Davids providing a backbone to Ajax's young side, Rangers fans can expect a hugely interesting night of football on Tuesday and Huntelaar believes that having players with this experience is vital to Ajax's hopes of further success.

He said: "They are very important to us. They provide stability and with their experience and of course their skills they make our team better.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Jaap Stam celebrate"We have a lot of young players with great ability but like any team you need to have a balance.

"We showed last season that we can win things and we were very close to being crowned Champions.

"We will be looking for more of the same during this year but for now we are focusing on our friendly matches and all the players will enjoy coming to Glasgow."

[Boab 73]

He's right - we are a very big club!

[cooper1989 0]

http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Ne...1076048,00.html

Different Klaas

AJAX striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar is seen by many to be one of the most promising young players in European football and the 23-year-old is looking forward to coming to Ibrox to showcase his talent on Tuesday night.

The Hunter, as he is also known, is already being compared to Holland legend Marco can Basten due to his prowess in front of goal and he alone will provide a massive test for the Gers' new look backline ahead of the new season.

Standing six-foot in height with explosive pace and exquisite control it is hardly surprising that the Ajax youngster is so highly rated and his ability to hit the net is equally impressive.

Despite failing to establish himself at PSV Eindhoven as a teenager Huntelaar was to be loaned out to De Graafschap to gain experience but after nine games failed to score.

Another move to First Division side AGOVV in the summer of 2003 at the age of 19 was to prove more beneficial and it was here that his talent started to win him a host of admirers.

He was an instant success, scoring 26 times in 25 league appearances to become the league's top scorer and this paved the way for a move Eredivisie side SC Heereveen after he turned down the opportunity to sign an extension to his contract with PSV.

The 100k Euros deal to Heerenveen was to be a steal as he went on to score 17 goals in 31 matches for his new club in 2004/05 and followed this by netting 17 times in 15 matches in the first-half of the 2005/06 campaign.

This electric form earned him a 9million Euros mid-season transfer to Ajax where he has, not surprisingly, became a fans' favourite.

On the international stage Huntelaar has also excelled, bagging 18 goals in 21 under-21 games for his country and helping his side win the UEFA under-21 European Football Championships in 2006 as the tournament's top scorer.

Having also scored the first ever goal at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in July 2006, the hugely talented youngster is now ready to set Ibrox alight next Tuesday and is looking for his side to put in a first-class display.

He said: "I am looking forward to playing Rangers very much.

"The atmosphere in Scotland and England is fantastic and I always really enjoy playing there, in front of the great fans.

"I think it will be a very special night.

"It is always more interesting for a football player to play against big clubs and Rangers is a very big club.

"Although it is just a friendly there is still a lot at stake as both teams will want to perform well. Klaas Jan Huntelaar

"I know a few of the Rangers' players and I think it is going to be a very useful match for us."

Henk Ten Cate's Ajax side lost out on the League Championship on goal difference to PSV on the final day of the 2006/07 season but did manage to take the Johan Cruyff Shield and Dutch Cup back to the club's bulging trophy cabinets.

Ajax will now be one of the seeded teams to join the Champions League in the third qualifying round next month and Huntelaar expects big things for his team in the next 12 months.

He said: "I want to win the championship in Holland, qualify for the Champions League group stages and go as far as possible in that competition too.

"Getting there is incredibly important for a young team like ours.

"Last season we missed the championship by one goal, which was really disappointing, but then we went on to win the Dutch Cup and we qualified for the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League. We ended the season on a high note."

With Dutch legends such as Jaap Stam and Edgar Davids providing a backbone to Ajax's young side, Rangers fans can expect a hugely interesting night of football on Tuesday and Huntelaar believes that having players with this experience is vital to Ajax's hopes of further success.

He said: "They are very important to us. They provide stability and with their experience and of course their skills they make our team better.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Jaap Stam celebrate"We have a lot of young players with great ability but like any team you need to have a balance.

"We showed last season that we can win things and we were very close to being crowned Champions.

"We will be looking for more of the same during this year but for now we are focusing on our friendly matches and all the players will enjoy coming to Glasgow."

Maybe Bain will offer 50 quid up front for him and 25 quid a year for 10,000 years?

[FlippinEck 3,708]

its good that he has those views, im sure we could prize decent players from dutch clubs aswell, looking forward to seeing this guy, hes a really good player, even tho celtic were in for him apparently at one point

[mark_ni 12]

£100k for him when he was 19 my word. We should be getting some scouts over there and bringing in some of the younger players. Dirk kuyt went to feyenoord for E1m a few years back as well. We were linked to this guy before he moved to ajax as well, if only SDM had gave us the money for him we could have made double or treble our money back selling him in a year or two.

[ricksen_da_best 2,034]

get him signed!!

i wish!

[FlippinEck 3,708]

ur looking at about at least £8M and upwards for him, but u never know, he might fall in love with us on tuesday and go on strike

[Leiper 0]

Always good to get recognition from top players in Europe. This will be the first real test on our defense.