Europa League final: Ajax young talent will stay at club - says defender Joel Veltman

Ajax's exciting young team will not be broken up this summer despite their impressive run to the Europa League final, says defender Joel Veltman.

Veltman, 25, is one of several players linked with a move abroad.

"In the Netherlands, if we see a young player and he's playing quite well then we're like 'oh he's going to go to Barcelona, Chelsea or Real Madrid', and that's a negative thing," said Veltman.

"We have to keep our feet on the ground".

Ajax, runners-up in the Dutch Eredivisie, face Manchester United in Wednesday's Europa League final in Stockholm (19:45 BST).

The Amsterdam club made history in their final league game of the season when, with the title on the line, they named the youngest side in the history of the Dutch top flight.

With an average age of 20, they beat Willem II but still had to settle for second place behind Feyenoord.

Ajax have not won a European trophy since their 1995 Champions League final victory over AC Milan, and their run to Stockholm has led to comparisons with that generation of players, which included Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars among others.

Veltman, Kasper Dolberg, 19, Davy Klaassen, 24, and Davinson Sanchez, 20, have all linked with moves abroad.

Asked if Ajax can hold on to those players, Veltman told BBC Sport: "I think we can.

"We have to not talk about players going to clubs like Barcelona. You have to play four seasons for Ajax and then make the step to a bigger club."