Ajax have a rule that any expiring contract that is not renewed or terminated before 1 April will automatically renew for another year.

Abdelhak Nouri woke up from a coma recently after suffering an accident in 2017. He has developed a ‘form of communication’ after moving home to be with his family although he remains limited in what he can do.

“It is going well with Appie [Abdelhak]. Yes, what is good? He’s awake, he’s asleep, he’s eating, he’s burping, but he’s not getting out of bed,” his brother told the Amsterdam-based newspaper De Telegraaf.

During the coma, which lasted 2 years, 8 months and 19 days, Ajax respected hims contract. Just days after he woke from his coma, however, they have broken off the agreement according to the same publication. It is not what it seems though. They want to continue to help and support their former player but they want to change the terms of the contract in order for them to continue to help.

The problem is that players at Ajax that finish their contracts have to resolve their futures before 1 April. When a contract isn’t terminated, it renews automatically for another year. They remain concerned about Nouri but they want to resolve Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s future first. On Wednesday, they will announce the names of players who won’t continue at the club and while Nouri will be on the list, it seems to be simply an admin issue as they continue to look out for the 22-year-old.