Who is Youri Regeer? The Ajax talent on the radar of Man Utd's Erik ten Hag

Karan Tejwani

• 8 Nov 2022 11:45 GMT
• 4 min read

At Ajax, as one star goes, another is always in the making – that’s been the philosophy for a while now, and they’ve got plenty of names in the making.

Coming through the ranks is Youri Regeer, who is seen as one of the biggest talents at De Toekomst and already has some first-team experience.

The teenager has a big reputation at Ajax and is touted for a big future in the game, with some suggesting he’s one of the best to come out of this crop.

READ: Who is Quinten Timber? Jurrien's brother who is shining for Feyenoord

So, what do we know about Regeer?

What position does Regeer play in?

Regeer is incredibly versatile – he primarily plays in midfield, but can also play at right-back, which was the position he claimed in his early senior career at Ajax.

READ: Who is Xavi Simons? The ex-Barcelona & PSG wonderkid starring at PSV

How good is Regeer?

Regeer joined Ajax as a 14-year-old back in 2017 and quickly impressed – his versatility immediately caught the eye, quickly rising through the club’s youth teams.

He was impressive in his early years and was made captain of Jong Ajax – the club’s second team – at the age of 18, before becoming the second team’s fourth-youngest debutant in 2020.

Since then, he accelerated with his progress and made his senior debut at the end of 2021 in a cup match as Erik ten Hag was impressed with his progress.

As a child, he played in various positions and even won a trophy as a goalkeeper, showing how well-versed he is in different areas of the pitch.

His most famous match came against Valencia in the UEFA Youth League in 2019, when he was asked to play on the right side of midfield, and ended up scoring a hat-trick which led to him being the youngest player called-up to the Netherlands under-17 squad for the 2019 World Cup in Brazil.

The World Cup didn’t go as planned, but his form for Ajax has been great, as he’s nailed down the holding midfield role since, while also contributing at right-back, even for the senior Ajax squad.

He told Goal about where he likes to play: “I prefer to play as a number six or number eight, as a box-to-box midfielder. This year, I mostly played at right-back. If you look at my numbers in the first half of the season, they are excellent from that position.

"I know that there may be a chance to break through to the Ajax first team at right-back, rather than as a number six, and so I have to keep doing what I can to make that happen.”

What clubs are interested in Regeer?

So far, there is no interest in Regeer given he has only recently made his first-team debut and is yet to establish himself as a senior, but given his trajectory, there will certainly be some offers.

Ten Hag was known to be an admirer of his talents and will be keeping an eye on his progress at Ajax – a move to Manchester United may be on the cards for him in the future.

When does Regeer’s contract expire?

Regeer signed an extension on his contract earlier this year and his deal runs until the summer of 2025, giving him three years.

How old is Regeer?

Regeer was born on 18 August 2003. He is currently 19-years-old.

What is Regeer’s Instagram?

Regeer’s Instagram is youri_regeer and he has 13.4k followers as of November 2022.