Since his arrival at Juventus in 2021, Dean Huijsen has been climbing the ranks at an incredible pace.
After initially joining the U17 side, he earned his promotion to the Primavera and then the Juventus Next Gen squad. This summer, the 18-year-old has joined Max Allegri’s senior squad.
The young Dutchman is a centre-back who can play with both feet and is undoubtedly one of the brightest young talents at the club.
Dean’s father Donny Huijsen reveals that his son is extremely happy at Juventus, considering the club as family.
“Dean is simply a well-headed boy. He’s never done anything crazy,” said the former Ajax player in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I Don’t think he’s shy, he just thinks before acting and not the other way around. He’s very mature.
“When he was 12, he was already so good that I thought ‘Ok, he can have a great future’.
“He was always so devoted to football and I don’t think I have any photos of him without the ball.
“He has always played on the right, but in the last three of four years, he has also been moved to the left. I think all players must have two good feet.
“Dean is very happy at Juventus and we as a family are also happy here and living in Italy.
“Juve is a fantastic club, very big, very familiar and very warm. So we like it here and Dean is learning a lot.
“We grew up in Spain, but I always talk to him about the Dutch style of play. Now he’s learning to defend and play the Italian way.
“We think it’s very good for Dean to know more playing styles. Before arriving at Juventus there were many Spanish clubs and some top clubs from abroad following him.
“But Dean only wanted to go to Italy to learn how to defend better and learn a new language. He speaks four languages fluently. Spanish, Italian, English and Dutch.”
Donny also discusses his son’s solid rapport with fellow Juventus wonderkid Kenan Yildiz.
The two teenagers have already played side-by-side in several Juventus squads, forming a great friendship in the process.
“I really like that they are always together and it is very nice for Dean that he is also in the first team and vice versa.
“We always joke that they are like husband and wife. Kenan is also a super nice guy, he wants to become a better player so they help each improve.”