Nigeria international Calvin Bassey says he is not bothered by the high expectations and demands of fans since his move to Ajax last summer.
The defender has been a victim of heavy criticism since he joined Ajax for a club record £19.6m (€23m) from Glasgow Rangers last July.
Bassey has come under scrutiny for his offensive weaknesses and his lack of passing ability with club legends Wesley Sneider, Rene Van der Gijp all questioning the signing of the Nigerian.
The 23-year-old enjoyed playing time under former manager Alfred Schreuder, starting in 16 league appearances and scoring one goal but is yet to make a single start under interim manager John Heitinga and was named on the bench during their league game against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday.
In an interview with Ajax Showtime, Bassey said he was not bothered by the expectations from fans of the club.
“I think it’s a wonderful club with a lot of history. When you go to a club as big as Ajax there will always be certain expectations.
“I think it’s good to set the bar high and it’s certainly high here. We also expect that of ourselves. So we also demand a lot from each other.”
Nigerian wants to develop further at Ajax in the near future.
He said, “I want to better understand Ajax’s style and adapt myself to it. I want the style to suit me more. That’s my goal now.
“I can do anything as long as I want it bad enough.”
Bassey also talked about how he was rejected by several English clubs before ending up at Leicester City in 2015.
“I remember when I was on my way to Southampton. I went wherever I could smell professional football. I’ve been rejected by a lot of professional clubs,” he added.
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