Marcos Leonardo has had a difficult start to his time at Ajax. The Brazilian striker, who joined the club from Al Hilal in the summer for just under €20 million, has scored only twice in 14 appearances this season.

Leonardo has spent quite a bit of time on the bench this season as Tolu Arokodare has established himself as Ajax's first-choice striker.

Tolu has scored 10 times in 15 appearances for Ajax. While he is only at Ajax on loan, the Nigerian striker said, speaking after Ajax's 2-0 win against Atalanta, that he would be open to joining Ajax on a permanent transfer. The Amsterdammers hold the option to sign him permanently next summer for around €20 million.

Kasper Dolberg suffered a serious knee injury during the international break and will be out of action for an extended period of time, but prior to his injury, the Danish forward was also seemingly higher in the pecking order than Leonardo. Michel Sanchez opted to use Dolberg instead of Leonardo in the games against Fortuna Sittard, Willem II and Excelsior.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport's Rondo show, Jordi Cruijff said that Leonardo will soon find form following a disappointing first few months in Amsterdam.

"I think it’s just a matter of time," Cruijff said, talking about when Leonardo will finally find form.

"The way he finds space is a bit different, so you need players around him who understand that. Once he scores a goal, he’ll really get going.

"For a 23-year-old... He’s played around 280 official matches. Many players don’t even reach that number in their entire careers. And he’s scored roughly 125 goals. That’s nearly a goal every two games.

"The lad has some remarkable stats. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a matter of time.

"In the Netherlands, there is a great deal of one-on-one play. That’s not the case in most other leagues. It’s much more physically demanding. He needs some time."

Leonardo has only started one Eredivisie game this season, which was in Ajax's 2-5 win against FC Groningen in the Euroborg. He did not score but worked very hard and did a lot right. He was then rewarded for that with a start against Atalanta in the UEFA Conference League.

He was then an unused substitute against Sparta Rotterdam and then came on for the final 30 minutes against AZ Alkmaar. He failed to score, but it is important to note that Ajax created very little in that game.

His minutes have been limited, but he also has not made a big enough impact in the minutes he has had. The fact that he regularly gets into great positions to score is a good sign, but he needs to actually start finding the back of the net as soon as possible.

Tolu is continuing to get better, and therefore, if Leonardo does not find form soon, it will be very difficult for the former Al Hilal striker to establish himself as Michel's first-choice striker at any point this season.

Various reports claim that Ajax may struggle to sign Tolu permanently due to the potential costs involved, but if Leonardo continues to struggle throughout the season, it would be sensible for Ajax to sell the former Al Hilal striker to help fund a permanent move for Tolu.