After a year in the Eerste Divisie with Almere City, Pelle van Amersfoort returns to Heerenveen looking to cement his place in the first team.
- By Michael Bell
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After impressing in the youth ranks, an 18-year-old van Amersfoort was handed his first team debut in 2014 as Heerenveen drew 1-1 with Vitesse. This would be the first of ten Eredivisie appearances for the striker in the 2014/15 season, but he failed to register his first goal. Last summer Heerenveen decided van Amersfoort would be allowed to leave on loan to develop and Almere City swooped to sign the lanky forward.
In the Eerste Divisie, van Amersfoort was a regular, missing only four games due to a thigh injury, and he helped the club reach the end of season play-offs after scoring eight league goals and adding eight assists. He scored in the second leg of the play-off with Willem II, but Almere City lost the game 5-2 meaning they remained in the Eerste Divisie. Van Amersfoort returned to Heerenveen in the summer and has played a major role in pre-season, scoring four times including a brace in the 5-1 a win over Oss.
The now 20-year-old has been a regular for Netherlands youth teams, representing his nation at U17, U18, U19 and U20 levels.
Style of play
A tall forward at 6ft 3, van Amersfoort is unsurprisingly at his most dangerous in the air, winning crosses or flicking the ball onto his teammates around the box, but the youngster is also comfortable with the ball at his feet. Heerenveen have utalised van Amersfoort as a winger, where he has shown impressive dribbling skills and good crossing ability.
Van Amersfoort’s future lies as a target man, in the elk of a Peter Crouch or Bas Dost, but he must become more clinical in front of goal and add a bit more muscle, with defenders easily shrugging him off the ball at times.
What can we expect from van Amersfoort next season
With Mitchell Te Vrede heading out of Heerenveen, van Amersfoort should be guaranteed game time and he will look to establish himself in the Frisian sides attack. Heerenveen have produced a number of talented youngsters in the past few years, notably Hakim Ziyech and Daley Sinkgraven, with Van Amersfoort hoping to be the next showcasing his talent at the Abe Lenstra stadion.
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