Zlatan Ibrahimovic is continuing to plan for the future of AC Milan and he has reportedly identified a figure to come in and help with the set up of the U23 team.
According to La Repubblica (via PianetaMilan), Ibrahimovic – who is of course Gerry Cardinale’s right-hand man – is ready to make a new addition to the club’s management structure.
After the arrival of Jovan Kirovski as head of the Under 23 team, which is now more or less confirmed, another name could join the second team.
In recent days there has been talk of an interest on the part of the former Swedish striker regarding the ‘Ajax model’, and that’s exactly where a new director should come from.
As reported by journalist Enrico Currò in the paper, Ibrahimovic is in fact hiring an Ajax manager for the U23 team. The clues collected lead to Casimir Westerveld, a ‘true guru of the youth sector’.
“Ibrahimovic is hiring an Ajax manager for the Under 23s: the clues lead to Casimir Westerveld, guru of the youth sector. But every twist is plausible,” he writes.
Westerveld, according to Transfermarkt, has been at Ajax since the 2006-07 season, working his way through roles such as assistant manager with the U17s, manager of the youth sector, scouting co-ordinator, opponent analyst and most recently the academy manager.
It is still unclear which parts of the ‘Ajax model’ Ibrahimovic wants to replicate exactly, but they are of course a club with an academy that has produced many top players due to their methods and philosophy.
If they truly want to follow the Ajax model then they need to give game time to the 18-19 year olds who have shown the ability to play with the first team. I’m talking about Simic, Zeroli, Bartesaghi, etc. They don’t need to start every other game, but should see significant time off the bench or start every 4th or 5th game. It’s the way they will keep developing.