Kees Smit: The Midfielder Manchester United Must Sign
Rio Ferdinand has seen enough. In his eyes, Kees Smit is not just another promising name on a long list of Dutch talents; he is the midfielder Manchester United “must” not allow to slip away.
The 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar product has exploded into wider view over the past few months. A debut for the Dutch national team last month, a starring role in AZ’s 4-0 dismantling of Sparta Prague in the Conference League, and now an open admission that his time in Alkmaar is likely drawing to a close.
“Basically, I want to play a lot; that’s important to me,” Smit told Ziggo Sport after that European win. “I could stay at AZ, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
It sounded less like speculation and more like a farewell being carefully prepared.
Ferdinand’s urgent plea
Those comments have only sharpened the focus on his next move, and Ferdinand is crystal clear about where he believes Smit should land.
“Kees Smit is the real deal, I’m telling you,” the former Manchester United defender declared on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents. This was not a passing compliment. It was a call to action.
“He’s the kind of player where you think: I’d sign him right now, even if he might not be quite ready for the first team just yet. I hope he breaks through and takes the world by storm. And if we have to wait six months or a year for him, I don’t mind at all, because we absolutely cannot let him go to another club.”
That line – “we absolutely cannot let him go to another club” – lands with particular weight at Old Trafford, where United have watched too many rising stars choose rival projects in recent years. Ferdinand, steeped in the club’s history of backing youth, is effectively telling them: this is one you build around, even if the payoff isn’t immediate.
A talent that travels
Ferdinand’s conviction is not built on hype alone.
“Kees Smit is a top player, believe me. That lad… I’ve seen him play a few times now and that was enough for me. I’ve seen the footage and… wow! I’ve also spoken to a few people in the Netherlands, friends of mine… He’s got the real deal,” he added.
For a 20-year-old, Smit already carries himself with the assurance of a player ready for a bigger stage. His performances in Europe have underlined that point, and his rapid rise into the Dutch national team setup only reinforces the sense that AZ are now trying to manage the final stretch of his time at the club.
On Thursday, he will again be at the heart of things as AZ face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Conference League quarter-final. It is exactly the kind of tie where a young midfielder can show he belongs at a higher level – the rhythm of knockout football, the scrutiny, the stakes.
Domestically, AZ sit sixth in the Eredivisie, three points behind Ajax. It is a season that has not fully caught fire, but Smit’s emergence has been one of its brightest threads.
The €60 million question
With that rise comes the modern game’s inevitable soundtrack: numbers. Big ones.
Reports in the Netherlands suggest AZ are asking for around €60 million for Smit. For a club of their size, that figure is both a statement and a shield. For the player, it is a talking point he cannot entirely ignore.
“I understand that everyone is talking about it. The figures I’m hearing are absurd,” Smit admitted. “I get that people disagree with it or think it’s a huge amount of money. I feel the same way myself.”
There is a striking honesty in that reaction. No posturing, no rehearsed line about “not thinking about the fee.” He knows what is being said. He knows what that price tag means for his next move, for expectations, for the pressure that would follow him into any new dressing room.
Yet the market is ruthless. Clubs pay for potential as much as for end product, and Smit sits squarely in that bracket – a player who may not yet be the finished article, but who looks ready to grow into a leading role at a major European side.
Ferdinand’s message is simple: Manchester United should be the ones to take that gamble, and to do it now.
The next few months will decide whether Old Trafford listens – or whether Smit’s next step turns into another story of what might have been for a club still searching for the core of its future midfield.
