Rochdi Achenteh, who has been earning plaudits for his performances with Dutch side Vitesse, admits he was not always a left-back and was shifted into the position by former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam, someone who he was unable to say no to.

The 27-year-old is something of a late developer, spending time dwelling in the Netherlands' second tier before rising to prominence with Eredivisie side Zwolle, who he then left to join Vitesse last year.




His performances saw a senior debut for Morocco last year and the 27-year-old credits Stam for telling him where he should play; the former Manchester United defender had a spell at Zwolle as assistant coach.

Achenteh told De Gelderlander: "It's great what I have achieved.
 

 

"People think that I've played as a left-back all my life, but two and a half years ago I was playing in midfield", he explained.

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"Jaap Stam said to me 'you're going to play left-back'.

"Okay. What Stam says you do. That's clear."

Achenteh is now aiming to win over a section of Vitesse fans who remain to be convinced by his spot in the side. And the Moroccan is taking it as a challenge.

"They challenge me, I challenge them.

"You will always have guys who say 'he can't do anything'. Those kinds of guys are everywhere. But I admit that I can always be better."

The defender has so far won three caps at international level with Morocco, while he helped Vitesse finish fifth in the Eredivisie this season.
 

 

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