Ajax

Van de Beek has continually been linked with a move to LaLiga giants Madrid, who previously contacted Ajax over a possible deal at the start of the season.

The 22-year-old Netherlands international has also reportedly emerged as a target for Premier League side United.

Ten Hag was asked about the future of Van de Beek on the eve of Thursday's Europa League clash against Getafe in Madrid.

"I do not think so [that he will leave]," Ajax boss Ten Hag told reporters in his news conference.

"He has had a great evolution and has attracted international attention. There are players who are in the spotlight and then things change."

Ten Hag added: "Donny van de Beek has had a stormy progression the last months. A lot of big clubs noticed this.

"That's has been the last one and a half years like this with our players. We have not to think about this, but we have been doing these the last one and a half years already."

In 2019-20, Van de Beek has scored 10 goals in all competitions for Dutch champions Ajax – eight of those in the Eredivisie.

The 25-year-old is set to be an important figure for his country at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where he will have another chance to impress possible suitors.

The former Club America player was said to have been the subject of a €50million offer from Chelsea in the last transfer window, which Ajax refused, leaving Alvarez by his own admission "very disappointed".

Alvarez has been unable to prevent Ajax slipping to an early exit from the Champions League, but domestically they are leading the way in the Eredivisie, even after losing head coach Erik ten Hag and star winger Antony to Manchester United.

United are among the clubs to have been linked with Alvarez, who hopes the "difficult situation" of the last transfer window can be quickly forgotten.

"Of course there was interest from Chelsea. Nobody expected that they would make another offer," Alvarez said. "Ajax really couldn't go anywhere. They couldn't do anything more. They didn't have a player in my position."

Speaking to ESPN, Alvarez said he "fought as far as I could" before committing to Ajax for this season, knowing future opportunities could arise should he again be a top performer.

He has attempted more tackles (38), contested the most duels for the ball (174) and made more interceptions (22) than any other Ajax player so far this term.

By producing on the pitch, he is keeping the door open for more transfer opportunities in the future.

"Eventually you are aware that everything changes. A better competition, a better life for yourself and for your family. Because that's what it's all about in the end," Alvarez said.

"I've always thought for myself that I'm here because of my love for football, but also for my family.

"On the other hand, it motivates me enormously that clubs of that size keep an eye on my matches, my actions. I am very disappointed, but I am convinced that sooner or later a big club will come for me."

Onana, who is expected to join Inter at the end of the season on a free transfer, was travelling from the capital Yaounde to the port city of Douala, where the Indomitable Lions are gathering ahead of their World Cup play-off against Algeria.

Local media showed pictures of the car in which Onana was travelling, and another vehicle, with the front part of each being badly mangled.

Onana, 25, was taken from the crash site to the Cameroon team base and posed for pictures, appearing unhurt; however, it was determined he should head for hospital check-ups.

"Andre Onana is fine," the team's official Twitter page stated. "The Indomitable Lions goalkeeper joined his team-mates in the den in Douala this morning.

"More fear than harm for the moment after the traffic accident he suffered early this morning in Sombo on the Yaounde to Douala axis.

"Andre Onana will undergo in-depth examinations in a referral hospital centre in Douala."

Cameroon will host Algeria in the first leg of their play-off on Friday, with the second leg taking place in Blida next Tuesday. The aggregate winner will qualify for the Qatar 2022 finals.

Gesser, who joined the Eredivisie club three years ago, was due to be part of the Under-17 set-up in the coming season.

A minute's silence will be held ahead of Ajax 1 and Jong Ajax matches on Saturday, with flags flown at half-mast at the training centre.

The club said in a statement on Saturday: "Ajax has received the terrible news that Noah Gesser has passed away. The sixteen-year-old youth academy player was killed in a car accident with his brother on Friday evening.

"Ajax is deeply moved by this tragic event. The club wishes Gesser’s loved ones strength in the coming time in dealing with this immeasurable loss."

Aged 16 years and 223 days, attacking midfielder Unuvar was introduced for the final 15 minutes in Amsterdam and rounded out a 7-0 rout after he was brought down in the box.

Unuvar's record-setting goal might be of interest to Barcelona, who reportedly monitored the Netherlands youth international during last year's U-17 World Cup.

"I immediately asked Klaas-Jan Huntelaar if I could take the penalty, because he would normally take it," Unuvar told Fox Sports Netherlands after the match.

"It was great that everyone let me [take it] and was happy for me. The keeper went to the wrong corner. It was a really nice moment."

Siem de Jong led the way for Ajax with a perfect hat-trick in the dominant last-16 victory, while Lassina Traore scored twice and Dusan Tadic netted the other.

The former Manchester United defender is said to have collapsed before being substituted during a friendly match with Hertha Berlin.

Blind was fitted with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a device that monitors and regulates his heart rhythm, after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation following a Champions League game with Valencia last December.

Ajax issued a statement via Twitter on Wednesday, saying: "Daley Blind was forced to leave the pitch during Ajax - Hertha BSC.

"The central defender is feeling well, given the circumstances, and was at Sportpark de Toekomst this morning. He will undergo further examinations and await the results of these tests before resuming training."

Netherlands international Blind rejoined Ajax, where he began his career, in 2018 after spending four years with United.

Ajax are due to begin their Eredivisie season on September 13. The 2019-20 campaign was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic before being declared void a month later.

The Netherlands defender had been heavily linked with Royal Antwerp, but he jumped at the chance to join Bundesliga leaders Bayern.

Blind has committed to a six-month contract, with the 32-year-old adding the Bavarian giants to his illustrious list of clubs, having also had a four-year stint at Manchester United that ended in 2018.

"We're delighted that Daley is joining our team. Daley is a versatile defender, capable of playing on the left or in the centre. He has great international experience and leadership qualities. I'm sure he'll help us," sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said.

Blind travelled to Germany on Thursday before undergoing a medical with Bayern. He has an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a device similar to a pacemaker, after being diagnosed in December 2019 with a heart condition.

That proved no obstacle to him signing, with Blind now set to feature as Julian Nagelsmann's side chase domestic and European honours.

Speaking on his transfer, Blind confirmed fighting for such trophies was a key factor in his decision: "I can hardly wait to play here. We’ve got the most important part of the season coming up, where it’s about titles – and a club like Bayern can win every trophy.

"The hunger for titles here at the club was key in my decision. I hope I can bring my experience to help the team. I’ll give everything for Bayern Munich."

With a four-point cushion over Freiburg, they lead the way in the Bundesliga after 15 games, while in the Champions League they face a testing last-16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain.

Blind scored for the Netherlands during their World Cup campaign in Qatar, netting in the 3-1 win over the United States at the last-16 stage.

He has 99 caps for his country and will be looking to complete a century in the early stages of Ronald Koeman's second spell in charge.

Across two spells at Ajax, he made over 300 appearances and won the Eredivisie on seven occasions – only Johan Cruyff and Sjaak Swart won more league titles with the Amsterdam giants with eight apiece.

He was formally released by the Dutch champions on December 27, with Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar saying at the time: "I hope he can find another club to end his successful career with."

Fresh from his move to Camp Nou in the transfer window, Lewandowski will return to familiar surroundings with Barcelona and Bayern Munich – who boast 11 Champions League titles between them – drawn in a tough Group C along with Inter.

And another reunion will see Haaland come up against Borussia Dortmund, whom he left to join Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. They find themselves in Group G alongside Sevilla and Copenhagen.

Another heavyweight clash will take place in Group H, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus set to lock horns.

The Eredivisie season ended last week due to the coronavirus pandemic with no champions declared, Ajax and AZ having sat level on points at the top with nine games to go.

Despite the season being over, Ajax have returned to training in small groups as they begin the process of getting ready for the 2020-21 campaign.

Players worked in small position groups overseen by separate coaches.

"We thought about the ideal way to get back to training and we've combined players based on their positions," Ten Hag told Ajax Media.

"This is just how we are starting out. We've grouped these particular players, so we can work on some position-specific things. We hope to get their technical levels up again and stimulate them once again. 

"That's how we will do it from now on, and we will make sure that they keep busy at home too. 

"We need them to keep their focus and we need to make them feel like professional footballers again. It's important they keep that mindset."

Ten Hag acknowledged it was strange to start seeing colleagues in person after a prolonged period in lockdown.

"It's nice [to be back], we've been 'out of order' for such a long time, everybody sat at home in their own surroundings," he added.

"Even though we have to take some measures, we can start training again. You see that everybody is very enthusiastic. 

"It's been such a strange situation, not just for us, but for the entire society. All of a sudden, you don't see each other anymore. 

"Luckily, we still kept in touch: there's a lot of technology that helped us, but to see each other in the flesh again, that's just really great.

"We are hoping we can start playing football again in September. Of course, we're all living in uncertainty and nobody knows for sure if we can start playing again at that time. 

"The players have trained individually almost every day. Now the next step: training in small groups with the ball. You can see they are really happy to play with the ball again. It's been a while.

"This is just a small start but we have returned to the pitch, which makes us all very happy. It's just a start, however it's nice to have a bit of a look to the future."

A premature conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign was effectively confirmed on Tuesday when the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced its intention "not to continue" with any action.

That came after Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte announced a government ban on public events, including professional sports, until September 1.

The season was officially brought to an end on Friday, with Ajax and AZ level on points at the top but unable to play their remaining nine games.

Ajax said on Tuesday that Netherlands international Blind underwent a series of examinations following the incident that forced his substitution in the 1-0 win at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on August 25 and has been deemed fit to return.

The former Manchester United player was fitted with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator – a device that monitors and regulates his heart rhythm – after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation following a Champions League game with Valencia last December.

An Ajax statement read: "Daley Blind is training again with the Ajax first team. In a friendly match against Hertha Berlin on Tuesday, August 25th, the defender had to be substituted.

"Afterwards, Blind underwent a series of examinations which meant he was also unavailable for the Dutch national team.

"The results of the examinations concluded that there was no reason for Blind to stay on the sidelines any longer.

"Last week, the second captain began training in phases and this week he returned to full training."

Ajax are scheduled to begin their 2020-21 Eredivisie campaign away to Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday.

Lukoki came through the ranks at Dutch giants Ajax before spells with PEC Zwolle, Bulgarian club Ludogorets and Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor.

The 29-year-old, who won three Eredivisie titles with Ajax, signed for FC Twente on a two-year deal last June but suffered a cruciate ligament injury in pre-season training.

Lukoki had his contract terminated by Twente in February for what the club described as "events in his personal life".

Twente confirmed the passing of Lukoki on Monday in a statement that read: "This morning FC Twente received the terrible news that Jody Lukoki has passed away.

"The club is shocked and deeply moved by this tragic event. FC Twente sympathises with his loved ones and wishes them a lot of strength in processing this great loss."

Zwolle also paid tribute: "PEC Zwolle has learned with dismay and sadness of the far too early death of former player Jody Lukoki.

"Lukoki will forever be remembered as PEC Zwolle's first goalscorer in an official European game. PEC Zwolle wishes the relatives of Jody Lukoki a lot of strength to bear this enormous loss."

While Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor added: "We learned with sadness the news that Jody Lukoki, who wore our club's jersey in the 2020-2021 Super League season, passed away.

"Our condolences to his family and community."

Lukoki represented the Netherlands at youth international level but opted to play for DR Congo, who he made his senior debut for in 2015.

All three caps for the Leopards came in friendly matches, with his last coming against Burkina Faso in 2020.

The 18-year-old forward joins in a reported €40million (£35.6m) transfer, signing a five-year contract to further expand Wolves' significant Portuguese contingent.

Executive chairman Jeff Shi confirmed his signing had come at the request of head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and it sees Wolves secure a talent strongly linked with Real Madrid and Liverpool in the past.

The deal makes Silva the seventh costliest teenager in history, and he joins illustrious company, as outlined below…

Kylian Mbappe: Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain - €180m

Likely to remain the world's most expensive teenage signing for some time, Kylian Mbappe is already well on the way to justifying the €180m outlay PSG made to prise him away from Monaco three years ago. Mbappe had fired Monaco to a shock Ligue 1 title triumph before departing and his goals have continued to flow in the French capital. Still just 21, Mbappe has arguably eclipsed team-mate Neymar already, while he has won a World Cup with France. Pele has acknowledged comparisons with the forward, who looks a certain Ballon d'Or winner in the near future. It would take a world-record fee to buy Mbappe, but he has hinted he could be open to leaving PSG.

Joao Felix: Benfica to Atletico Madrid - €126m

Potentially rivalling Mbappe for top individual honours in the years to come could be Joao Felix, who was tasked with replacing Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid following his move to Barcelona. Joao Felix hit 20 goals in all competitions for Benfica in 2018-19, three of those strikes coming in the Europa League, to announce himself among the world's top talents. He endured a difficult first season in Spain, as he appeared to struggle with a new position, setup and philosophy under Diego Simeone's tutelage, but some promising flashes towards the end of the campaign suggested the player compared to Kaka could establish himself in 2020-21.

Matthijs de Ligt: Ajax to Juventus - €85.5m

Barcelona were linked with De Ligt, having already sealed a deal for club and country team-mate Frenkie de Jong, but the Ajax captain instead opted for Serie A. Much like Joao Felix at Atletico, De Ligt did not have the most convincing of debut seasons, despite Juve going on to win another Serie A title. Nevertheless, after a year bedding in, 2020-21 might see the Dutchman recapture his best form as he will likely become an even more central figure under Andrea Pirlo.

Anthony Martial: Monaco to Manchester United - €60m

Eyebrows were raised when United parted with €60m for Martial in 2015, with one British newspaper describing the deal as a "waste of money" in a back-page splash. While it might have taken him a while - after a blistering start - to properly establish himself, struggling particularly under Jose Mourinho, the Frenchman is beginning to make good on his potential at 24. With 17 goals in 32 Premier League games in 2019-20, Martial appeared to cement himself as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-choice centre-forward and formed a dynamic front three with Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. He also earned a recall to the France squad, with 2020-21 looking like a season of endless possibilities for Martial.

Rodrygo Goes: Santos to Real Madrid - €45m

Real Madrid have been signing young talent in recent seasons in a departure from their Galactico-focused days, although the arrival of Eden Hazard did show they are still willing to splash out on ready-made superstars. Rodrygo Goes linked up with Zinedine Zidane's squad for 2019-20 having remained on loan with Santos after completing his initial transfer to the Spanish giants. The tricky forward showed plenty of promise in his first season and seemed to usurp Vinicius Junior in the pecking order at times. Madrid hope he can be their Neymar.

Vinicius Junior: Flamengo to Real Madrid - €45m

Rodrygo followed in the footsteps of fellow Brazilian Vinicius, who was a rare shining light for Madrid in 2018-19, scoring two LaLiga goals. In his second season, Vinicius was in and out of the team, but did enjoy a few stints of regular football. Flashy, flamboyant and difficult to tackle, Vinicius is a classic Brazilian wide player, though concerns about his end product remain despite having been at the club for a while now. Nevertheless, Vinicius could be Madrid's future along with Rodrygo.

Fabio Silva: Porto to Wolves - €40m

Silva became Porto's youngest-ever player in 2019 when he made his debut for the first-team less than a month after his 17th birthday – the previous record-holder was his new Wolves team-mate, Ruben Neves. The technically gifted forward, who has been suggested as the potential long-term heir to Cristiano Ronaldo, helped Porto to UEFA Youth League success in 2018-19 and has regularly caught the eye in Portugal's youth setup. Although he only scored three times in 20 appearances with Porto in 2019-20, Silva appears destined for a future at the top, with his technique and on-the-ball talents seemingly a good fit for Wolves' dynamic attacking options.

Luke Shaw: Southampton to Manchester United - €37.5m

Like Martial, Luke Shaw is another player who seems to have laboured under a large price tag at times. Shaw also had a fractious relationship with Mourinho but made the United left-back spot his own with 29 Premier League starts in 2018-19. The 24-year-old remained a regular last term, despite the emergence of Brandon Williams, and managed to stay relatively injury-free, but one rarely gets the impression his position in the squad is absolutely certain, particularly given his attacking output lacks in comparison to the world's best full-backs.

Wayne Rooney: Everton to Manchester United - €37m

Wayne Rooney certainly repaid his fee – he was British football's most expensive teenager – becoming United's all-time leading goalscorer and winning five Premier League titles at the club, as well as the 2007-08 Champions League. Rooney will go down as a United great despite affairs such as agitating for a move and falling out with Alex Ferguson. Rooney dropped out of favour in the latter years of his time at Old Trafford and was also sidelined for England, with a return to boyhood club Everton failing to spark. But joining MLS strugglers DC United was a clever move and Rooney helped inspire their rise. Now 34, he is back in England with Derby County.

Renato Sanches: Benfica to Bayern Munich - €35m

Bayern thought they were signing a player who would become one of the era's dominant midfielders when they snapped up Renato Sanches from Benfica, but the transfer did not work out at all. Bayern bought Sanches before he won Euro 2016 with Portugal but, four years later, that remains the highlight of his career. Sanches flopped in a loan spell with Swansea City in the Premier League and quickly appeared surplus to requirements at Bayern. He eventually secured a permanent move away last year when Die Roten recouped €25m for him - applaudable given his form - when selling him to Lille. But in France he seems to have found his feet again, enjoying a solid debut season and attracting interest from around Europe.

Months of games, so many ups and downs, goals scored and conceded, and yet it can all still come down to the finest margins in the closing minutes of the last day.

To paraphrase Homer Simpson, the winner is showered with praise; the loser is taunted and booed until my throat is sore.

With one matchday left, the title races in both Serie A and the Premier League are going to the final 90 minutes. Milan and Manchester City have their destinies in their own hands, but Inter and Liverpool are looking to respectively pounce on any stumble.

There is the potential for exceptional drama in Italy and England, but can the Nerazzurri and the Reds have much hope of pulling off the improbable and wrestling the respective title from their rivals?

Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the more dramatic title races from recent history that show anything is possible.

Every goal matters

The Eredivisie provided about as tense a finish as you could imagine in 2006-07, with PSV Eindhoven and Ajax unsurprisingly the main characters.

A strong title defence from Ronald Koeman's PSV began with 18 wins from 21 games, and just one defeat.

However, losing four and drawing four of their next 12 games coupled with Ajax winning five of six leading into the final day meant they were neck and neck on points heading into the last game.

Despite being behind on goal difference, a tremendous effort from PSV saw them pip their rivals after an emphatic 5-1 win over Vitesse, while Ajax could only muster a 2-0 victory over Willem II, losing the title by a single goal.

When goals made no difference in LaLiga

In the same season, Real Madrid made a disappointing start in LaLiga, drawing their first game 0-0 with Villarreal at home before going on to lose seven of their first 21 league matches.

After drawing four games in a row between mid-February and mid-March, title hopes seemed to be over for Fabio Capello's men, only for nine wins in 11 games to send them into the final day level on points with Barcelona.

Barca thrashed Gimnastic 5-1 away from home to do their bit, but Madrid eased to a 3-1 win against Real Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Blaugrana had a significantly better goal difference of +45 compared to Madrid's +26, but that mattered not as the tie-breaker came down to head-to-head record, which was in Los Blancos' favour having beaten Barca 2-0 at home and drawn 3-3 at Camp Nou.

"Agueroooooo!"

Following Sheikh Mansour's takeover of Manchester City in 2008, the club had grown year-on-year and by the 2011-12 season, felt they were ready to mount a challenge at the top of the Premier League.

Roberto Mancini's side started well enough, winning 11 of their first 12 games, but three defeats across December and January dented hopes, while two losses and two draws in a five-game period in March and April all but killed them.

That was until five wins in a row coincided with Manchester United losing to Wigan Athletic and dramatically drawing 4-4 with Everton at Old Trafford.

City beating United on matchday 36 swung things in the Sky Blues' favour, and they went into the last day needing only a win against lowly QPR to seal it.

In typical fashion, they made it hard work for themselves, finding themselves 2-1 down heading towards the 90th minute. United had won 1-0 at Sunderland, which meant City needed two goals or they would have lost the title in agonising fashion.

An Edin Dzeko header made it 2-2, before Mario Balotelli slid in Sergio Aguero for one of the most famous goals in English football history, giving City their first top-flight title since 1969.

The ultimate last day head-to-head

It was like something out of a Hollywood film. All the previous nine LaLiga titles had been won by Clasico giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, but in 2013-14, Atletico Madrid believed they could spoil the party.

Barca were the pacesetters, winning 13 of their first 14 games, while Real Madrid were struggling after losing to both Atletico and Barca.

Diego Simeone led his team to an incredible 16 wins from their first 18 games, but a 0-0 draw with Barca made it look like it would be the tightest of run-ins.

Indeed it was, with Real coming back to the party after an 18-match unbeaten run, though back-to-back defeats to Barca and Sevilla stopped them in their tracks.

Gerardo Martino's Barca were wobbling too, losing three out of seven games between February and March, and then drawing with Getafe and Elche to give Atletico their chance on the final day.

As if it could not have been more dramatic, Atletico went into the last game three points clear, but needing a point to clinch the title, away at Barcelona.

Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring for the Blaugrana, but Diego Godin's header handed the crown to Atletico.

When six were not on the beach

You may not be as familiar with this final day, but it stands as one of the most remarkable in the history of the game.

Never mind two or three, there were six clubs that could still claim the Ligue 2 title going into the final round of matches in 2016-17.

Strasbourg, Amiens, Troyes, Lens, Brest and Nimes all in with a shout with one game remaining, all separated by three points at most.

Technically, the drama was not really with the winner of the title, but the other automatic promotion spot that was up for grabs, with Strasbourg able to hold on to top spot following a nervy 2-1 win against Bourg-Peronnas, but it was a 96th-minute strike from Emmanuel Bourgaud sealing a 2-1 win at Stade Reims for Amiens that provided unbelievable drama, taking the aptly named Unicorns from sixth to second.

I did not think I would be advising Inter and Liverpool to go into their games with an "Amiens mindset", but there we are.

The prize, presented by Italian newspaper Tuttosport and won by Joao Felix last year, is given to the best player aged 21 or under from a top-tier league in Europe.

Haaland is a leading contender for the accolade after scoring 44 goals across all competitions in 2019-20 – 16 of those coming in 18 appearances after a mid-season move from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund.

Among all Bundesliga players last season to have scored at least 10 goals, only Robert Lewandowski (81.2) had a better minutes-per-goal record than Haaland (81.7).

His Dortmund team-mate Sancho finished the 2019-20 league campaign with 17 goals and 16 assists, making him the first player since Opta began detailed data collection (2004-05) to register at least 15 in both categories in the same Bundesliga campaign.

The England international's prolific campaign saw him become the youngest player (20 years, two months and six days old) in the history of Germany's top flight to reach 30 career goals.

Despite their impressive numbers, Haaland and Sancho face stiff competition from Fati, who became the third-youngest player (16 years, 304 days old) to find the net in LaLiga history and the youngest of all time in the Champions League (17 years, 40 days).

He finished the season with eight goals in all competitions and has continued his rise this term, netting three times in as many LaLiga games and becoming the youngest player to score for Spain.

Alphonso Davies will also be in contention after establishing himself as one of the top left-backs in the game during Bayern Munich's treble-winning season.

The full 20-man shortlist:

Mitchel Bakker (Paris Saint-Germain), Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes), Jonathan David (Lille), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Sergino Dest (Barcelona), Fabio Silva (Wolves), Ansu Fati (Barcelona), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Dominik Szoboszlai (Salzburg), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Ferran Torres (Manchester City), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).

The Ivory Coast international joined the Bundesliga outfit from Ajax ahead of the current campaign, but was promptly sidelined following the discovery of a malignant tumour.

Since then, he has been undergoing treatment, with hopes he may yet be able to feature this campaign for Dortmund, as Edin Terzic's side hunt for domestic and European silverware.

Haller hopes to have the green light to return to action in the near future, stating he has ideas in his head - but admits it is all dependent on how his illness takes its course.

"I'm lucky enough to feel well," he told UEFA's official website. "I am physically able to work, I feel fine from both a mental and a physical point of view, which is of course helpful to fight this disease.

"I have a timescale in mind. If I'm lucky enough not to need surgery, things can go very quickly. Checks are made three weeks after the final phase.

"If I don't need an operation, with the way I train, I'd like to think that I will be in good condition at the end of those three weeks.

"One of the first things I told myself was: 'OK, it's happened to me. I am going to do everything to be good mentally and physically'.

"I was a spoiled child; I never had any worries. This is the first big ordeal I had to face.

"Some people start their lives like that. I was lucky that it came later in my life, so I can’t complain. It's a challenge, a huge challenge, and the fact that you were able to overcome it means that you’re a warrior."

Ajax coach Alfred Schreuder confirmed the Ivory Coast international has returned to Amsterdam to regain fitness, despite undergoing treatment for a malignant tumour that was found in July.

The 28-year-old left for Dortmund ahead of the new season having finished as the Eredivisie's top scorer at Ajax, replacing Erling Haaland in Germany after the forward joined Manchester City.

While Haller is yet to put a time frame on his recovery, Schreuder provided an encouraging update on Tuesday.

"He asked us if he could come and train because he was rehabilitating here," Schreuder said, speaking ahead of Ajax's must-win Champions League clash with Liverpool.

"Then it is of course wonderful that he can be there for a while. He was able to train on a different pitch to help his recovery."

Dortmund progressed through to the Champions League knockout stages with a goalless draw against Pep Guardiola's City on Tuesday.

Haller is yet to make his debut for BVB, who sit fifth in the Bundesliga, trailing leaders Union Berlin by just four points.

Lodeweges, who was assistant to Ronald Koeman until his departure to Barcelona earlier this month, had the responsibility of selecting the full squad for the first time.

He has taken the opportunity to introduce fresh faces and recall some familiar ones not seen in the selection for several years, while Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined after knee surgery.

Attacking midfielder Ihattaren impressed in his 22 Eredivisie appearances for PSV in 2019-20 and declared for the Netherlands last year having also been eligible for Morocco.

Ball-playing centre-back Schuurs broke into Ajax's first-team squad before Dutch football was halted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Similarly, attack-minded left-back Wijndal – also 20 years old, like Ihattaren and Schuurs – earned rave reviews with AZ prior to the 2019-20 campaign being cancelled.

While those three will be hoping for their first caps, Leroy Fer and Tim Krul are aiming to return to action with the national side after significant periods away.

Krul last played for his country in October 2015, while Fer's absence has been 11 months longer – he featured most recently against Mexico in November 2014.

Daley Blind was among several on the provisional list, but he has been discarded after a recent health scare in an Ajax friendly.

The centre-back, who was last year fitted with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation, collapsed in the meeting with Hertha Berlin but insisted he was "feeling fine" when he provided an update on Wednesday.

Myron Boadu, Teun Koopmeiners and Calvin Stengs were among the more surprising omissions of those on the provisional list.

The Netherlands face Poland on September 4 and Italy three days later.

Netherlands squad in full:

Jasper Cillessen (Valencia), Marco Bizot  (AZ), Tim Krul (Norwich City); Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (PSV), Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Hans Hateboer (Atalanta), Perr Schuurs (Ajax), Joel Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion), Stefan de Vrij (Inter), Owen Wijndal (AZ); Donny van de Beek (Ajax), Leroy Fer (Feyenoord), Mohamed Ihattaren (PSV), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Kevin Strootman (Marseille), Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool); Luuk de Jong (Sevilla), Quincy Promes (Ajax), Ryan Babel (Galatasaray), Steven Bergwijn (Tottenham).

Financial difficulties saw the six-time Ballon d'Or winner leave for Paris Saint-Germain and, in his absence, Koeman's side have struggled. 

The Dutchman replaced Quique Setien at Camp Nou in August 2020 and led Barca to Copa del Rey success in his first season, although they finished third in LaLiga and suffered a Champions League last-16 exit, as well as losing the Supercopa de Espana final to Athletic Bilbao. 

A shock 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday was the final straw and with the club in turmoil, it is imperative that Koeman's successor is chosen with great care. Stats Perform takes a look at the leading contenders who have been linked with the position. 

Xavi

With Koeman dismissed, Barcelona could turn to another club legend in Xavi, hoping the La Masia graduate can succeed where his predecessor failed with an unbalanced squad of ageing regulars and young talent. The former Spain international has presided over Qatari side Al Sadd since his retirement in 2019, leading them to a league title and six domestic cups.

Turning to a young coach who does not have any experience in Europe amid a time of upheaval could be viewed as a huge risk, however. Plus, will Xavi see this as the right time to return? The opportunity to manage Barca is likely to come around again at some stage.

Andrea Pirlo

Another candidate who enjoyed a glittering career as a central midfielder in his playing days, Pirlo replaced Maurizio Sarri at Juventus in August 2020 and won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, but was sacked at the end of his debut season following a fourth-placed Serie A finish and another disappointing European exit, this time against Porto.

While Pirlo has experience of coaching in a top-five league, his stint in Turin hardly demonstrated the Italian has the credentials at this stage of his career to rescue an ailing Barcelona side.

Roberto Martinez

Martinez has a greater coaching pedigree, although the highest level he has managed at has come on the international stage with Belgium — a job he still holds. The 48-year-old guided the Red Devils to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup and took them to number one in the FIFA world rankings, though a major trophy continues to elude them.

At club level, however, he has managed Everton and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League, winning the FA Cup but also suffering relegation with the latter, and also Swansea City below the top tier — rather different jobs to the one that faces the newcomer at Barcelona.

Erik ten Hag

Could Barca turn to another Dutchman to try to turn their on-field fortunes around? Ten Hag has built his reputation at Ajax, having previously worked at Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles, as well as a stint with Bayern Munich's second string. He has twice won the Eredivisie title, while he appeared set to reach the Champions League final in 2019, only for Tottenham to produce a stunning comeback in Amsterdam.

Barcelona, who know what it is like to be on the wrong end of a second-leg turnaround in Europe, have well-documented financial problems at the moment, potentially raising an issue if they want to try to lure away a coach under contract elsewhere.

Antonio Conte

Conte is out of work, at least meaning Barca would not have to pay any compensation to appoint him. However, that does not mean the Italian comes cheaply, considering he has a hugely impressive resume. The former Juve boss made a quick impact at his previous two jobs, having returned to club duties after a spell in charge of the Azzurri.

He won the Premier League title in his first season at Chelsea, during which they produced an impressive 13-game winning streak, then ended Inter's Scudetto wait last term, leading the Nerazzurri to a first championship since 2010. His San Siro departure amid Inter's financial cutbacks does raise questions over whether he would want to go anywhere near Camp Nou right now, particularly with Manchester United also reportedly interested.

Marcelo Gallardo

A name strongly linked with the post, Gallardo started out his coaching career with Nacional in Uruguay. However, he has been in charge of River Plate — a club he had three stints at during his playing career — since 2014, winning the Copa Libertadores twice among an impressive list of honours at Los Millonarios.

The last Argentinian coach to take the top job at Barca did not last too long: Gerardo Martino had just one season at the helm. Gallardo would have to cut short his River journey to do so, a move he suggested was not likely after revealing he plans to see out a contract that runs until the end of 2021.

Brobbey will join Nagelsmann's Leipzig on a free transfer at the end of the season after agreeing a four-year deal until 2025.

Eredivisie giants Ajax were determined to keep Brobbey, but the 19-year-old Dutch forward opted to leave for Leipzig.

Brobbey, who made his senior debut for Ajax in October, has scored twice in seven substitute appearances in Eredivisie this season, while he has netted as many goals during the 2020-21 Europa League campaign.

Nagelsmann compared Brobbey to in-form Inter forward Lukaku after being asked about the similarities between the two players.

"It is always very tough for a player, when you compare him to others as people start to grow expectations that are not good for a player at that age," Nagelsmann told reporters ahead of Sunday's showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt.

"In regards to his physique and the way he plays, he is similar to Romelu Lukaku. And we would be happy if he can manage to become a player with the same qualities. But to paint a picture for the fans, you can definitely say that he is similar to Lukaku. But it is a great wish of ours that he can develop himself in a similar way and that he will be able to become as important for the European football [as Lukaku].

"If that will be the case, then our scouting department has made a great decision. We will cross our fingers for that to happen. But please don't start saying that he will play just like Lukaku, because this won't be the case."

After Friday's announcement, Brobbey said: "RB Leipzig is a great club and is playing an amazing season. Julian Nagelsmann is a young and very good coach, who I can learn a lot from.

"The team is stable and gives off a strong feeling of unity. I'm looking forward to joining the team and of course want to play my part in helping the club be so successful."

Leipzig are second in the Bundesliga, two points adrift of leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich through 24 rounds.

But Nagelsmann is unwilling to discuss the title race, adding: "I have already mentioned that I do not want to talk about that so much. Last year, we were a bit closer to Bayern or maybe a bit further ahead and we still didn't manage to win the tile and eventually fell behind with a few points difference.

"For us it is about following through with the consistency that we currently have. There are still many games to be played, many points to get but also many points to lose in either direction. We don't gain a lot from just talking about it. We need to try to be the best possible opponent for all the teams we face.

"It is our aim to win every match. I also said on Wednesday after [Champions League fixture against] Liverpool that I find it disrespectful against many others to say that the championship will be decided on the third of April. There are still a few games to go. This would also imply that we will win every game that we come up against. But to do so we will have to go to our limits. It's not like we will win every game with ease and then say: 'It was nice of you to come for a visit. Goodbye and it was obvious that you'll lose'. There's a lot of work to be done with many narrow games. We have seen it against Freiburg where we took a lot of time to find our rhythm needed to win the game.

"Against [Borussia] Gladbach, it took us until the 93rd minute to win. We had a bit of luck against Berlin as well, but have solved it with dominance towards the end and scored the very important second goal. It is not a walk in the park for us. Therefore, it doesn't help us to talk about the aim at the end. We have to be successful from game to game and take them as they come. Now it is Frankfurt and then we will see what will happen at the end.

"Of course, we are happy when coaches or experts are honouring our success but we can't gain anything from that. It is important that we deserve to be where we are after the 34th matchday. Whatever it will be, we will take that into our holiday. In the middle of the season, it is a nice feeling but it doesn’t help us a lot at the moment."

Leipzig's 53 points from 24 games represents their best-ever return at this stage of a Bundesliga season. The club's previous best was 49 points, achieved in both 2016-17 and 2019-20.

Meanwhile, Leipzig have won six consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time since 2019. Their club record stands at eight wins in a row from September to December 2016.