Julian Brandt has made a promising start to his Ajax career after moving to Amsterdam on a free transfer from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

The German midfielder has now scored four goals in all competitions and was once again important for Michel Sanchez's team in the 1-5 win against Fortuna Sittard on Saturday night.

Fortuna Sittard played in a very deep and compact block, allowing Ajax very little space in the penalty box to create chances. It took a brilliant strike from Brandt to break the deadlock and help open up the game.

Fortuna Sittard found an equaliser in the second half, but Ajax were dominant after that. Alongside Brandt, Thilo Kehrer, Davy Klaassen, Kasper Dolberg and Youri Baas all got on the scoresheet to help Ajax to a commanding victory in Limburg.

Brandt's celebration after scoring against Fortuna Sittard was quite subdued. In an interview with ESPN after the game, he explained the reasoning for that.

"I wasn't very happy with my play yet; I had a few sloppy passes. I wasn't happy, and this was more a moment to show my feelings rather than run around and celebrate with everyone," Brandt explained.

"Anyway, I'm not really the type to celebrate extensively. It was natural."

Brandt is one of the best players in the Eredivisie and will continue to prove that as the season progresses.

On Saturday night, he showed one way in which he will be very important for Ajax this season. Ajax will face many teams, both in the Eredivisie and in the UEFA Conference League, that sit in a very deep block and simply try to deprive Ajax of any big chances, just as Fortuna Sittard attempted to do.

Against a deep block, a coach is extremely reliant on a player to produce a moment of brilliance to find an opening goal. Brandt was the Ajax player who produced that moment of brilliance against Danny Buijs' team.

He is an excellent finisher in and around the box. In addition to that, he is also extremely creative and can play intricate passes in the penalty box against deep blocks to help find an opening.

He is obviously an exceptional player, but the importance of the experience that he adds to the squad also cannot be underestimated. He played over 300 games for Borussia Dortmund across seven seasons at the club. One of those appearances came in the 2024 Champions League final, where Dortmund lost to Real Madrid at Wembley.

He also has 48 caps for the German national team. He is also still only 30 years old. There was interest from the Premier League in him this summer, with Leeds United having been very keen on signing him. He certainly still has a lot to offer, even if his very best days may now be behind him.