At Ajax, he merged into the squad easily, even scoring six goals in his debut season. First team chances were regular, if not abundant, but his first appearance for the Dutch national team seemed a long way away. His gameplay was not very artistic, but he has earned a reputation as a midfield anchor in the same mould as other Dutch players like Aron Winter, Erwin Koeman, Philip Cocu, Mark van Bommel and Kevin Strootman. Therefore, with the Dutch 1990 World Cup squad brimming with attack-minded midfielders like Richard Witschge and Jan Wouters, he was unsurprisingly omitted from selection for the national team in the late 1980s as well as the 1990 World Cup squad. He helped Ajax to the 1992 UEFA Cup Final in which he scored to help them overcome Torino.