Tolu Arokodare jokes he will ‘kill’ Ajax manager Michel Sanchez

Tolu Arokodare says his relationship with Ajax manager Michel Sanchez is built on “love and respect” – despite regularly disagreeing over the striker’s training.

Arokodare praised Sanchez’s approach and said the manager’s honesty was intended to help him improve.

“When you love someone, you do everything to help them become better,” said Arokodare. “When you love someone, you cannot simply flatter them when you are telling them the truth.”

The striker said he valued Sanchez’s personality and the way he was treated at the club, even when they did not see eye to eye.

“I also like his personality,” Arokodare said. “Sometimes I do not agree with the way he trains me, but most of the time he ends up bringing out the best in me.”

Arokodare then made a pointed joke about the pressure he believes he puts on the Ajax manager.

“I always say that one day I will kill him. It is going to happen,” he said. “Not physically, but he is old and suffers from high blood pressure. I am going to stress him so much that he will die.”

Despite their differences, Arokodare acknowledged that Sanchez has the final say on how he should play.

“As a coach, you always have an idea of how you want the player to play, but on the pitch you experience it differently,” said the striker.

“He is the coach, so he is the boss. I do my best to listen to him as much as possible.”