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Ajax youngster Naci Ünüvar is giving his best to make the last steps towards professional football. Ünüvar who’s 16-year-old plays for the Ajax U-19 team on a weekly basis and at the moment he tries to help the Dutch U-17 team win the world cup in Brazil. Playing all these matches at a high level helps him grow to become the player he wants to be.



Speaking to Dutch magazine ELF football Ünüvar says he has high expectations for himself: ’I want to be decisive in every match and help the team win games. I once said I wanted to make the first team of Ajax at age 17 and that’s still something I strive to achieve.’ Ünüvar, celebrated his 16th birthday last June which means he has about 20 months left to achieve his goal.



‘Last season I played over 50 matches. Playing that many games really help to improve your stamina’, Ünüvar says. ‘But it’s important to take it easy every now and then. This summer I laid at the beach for more than a week and I did absolutely nothing that week. After that, I slowly started training again. Right now I really see the benefit of taking some rest sometimes and because of that I’m able to train harder and I’m less tired after a match. Taking a day off every now and then can be a good thing.’



Playing for the Netherlands or Turkey



Currently, there are a lot of talents who have two nationalities and at some point, they have to answer the question for which country they will choose once they are selected for the national team. Ünüvar has both the Dutch and the Turkish nationality, so speculations about his future are already a hot item. Ünüvar, as well as his family, say they are not thinking about this decision yet. ‘Naci is proud to represent the Dutch national youth teams and at the moment he is only focusing on his development’, says Naci’s dad Ayhan Ünüvar.

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