Marc-Andre ter Stegen faces brutal criticism after Ajax defeat | OneFootball

Over the summer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen departed FC Barcelona for the second transfer in a row to join Ajax on a season-long loan. The veteran goalkeeper was urged to leave after being informed that he still does not count for Hansi Flick, which is why he was keen to leave for regular football elsewhere – and he was reunited with a familiar face.

It was Michel Sanchez that brought Ter Stegen to Girona in January, and while his spell at Montilivi was blighted by injury, both men made a good impression on each other. Thus, they were reunited in Amsterdam, although their second spell together has not been straightforward so far.

Ajax went unbeaten in their opening seven matches of the season across all competition, but their first big test came at the weekend against PSV Eindhoven – and it was one they failed, as they lost 3-1 at home. On the back of this, ter Stegen was criticised by former footballer Hans Kraay Jr. on ESPN, as per Sport.

“Between the 60th and 70th minute, Ajax did not take the ball out of their own half. They are losing 1-2 and they take it easy, as if they were winning 3-0. The impression that Ter Stegen thinks all this is perfectly fine. He didn’t even know that Ajax were losing 1-2. He spent ten minutes walking around. I really thought it was remarkable!”

Ter Stegen has little to no future at Barcelona

Ter Stegen’s concentration – or lack thereof – has also been criticised during his time at Barcelona, so this is nothing new for him. It’s one of the reasons why the Catalan club was happy to move on from him when Joan Garcia was signed last summer, and there are no plans to welcome him back into Flick’s plans when he returns to the Spotify Camp Nou in 2027, despite him still being under contract for another 12 months beyond that.