On Sunday, the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Newcastle saw Sven Botman reunited with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
The pair worked alongside each other at Ajax, before the towering centre-back was sold to Lille by the Dutch tactician in 2020 for a sum of just €9m (£8m) due to a lack of game time in Amsterdam.
Interestingly, Botman never actually made an appearance under Ten Hag.
Now, the man who Newcastle paid £32m for has had the last laugh.
Botman proved Ten Hag wrong with superb Newcastle display
The Netherlands Under-21 international certainly turned up to prove Ten Hag wrong on Sunday.
Botman helped Newcastle keep a clean sheet at Old Trafford, becoming the first side to shut out the Red Devils in Premier League action since Brentford shackled them in that 4-0 rout back in August.
As WhoScored shows, the 22-year-old registered two blocks, three clearances and also made one interception, although it was his passing which really stood out.
Botman impressively completed five of his attempted seven long-range passes, while he also registered one key pass at Old Trafford – his technical ability enabled the Magpies to start attacks from almost out of nothing.
In total, the Dutchman made 41 passes with an accuracy of 82.9% – it was an accomplished display, to say the least.
Newcastle made a fine investment in Botman
In our view, the Toon Army should be very excited by Botman.
At the age of just 22, he has already proved he can handle himself in a division as physical as the Premier League, which bodes very well for the future.
With time, Botman should become one of the leading defenders in England, one who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch with his superb passing range, a trait which has become vital for defenders in the modern game.
If the Newcastle No.4 keeps this up, his £32m price tag could even triple in a few years.
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