day 5–2 win against Stoke City. In total, Kinkladze made 119 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 22 goals. He played regular international football during this period of his career, including in a 0–0 draw with three-time World Cup winners Italy. Ajax Following transfer negotiations which had been ongoing in the final months of the season, Kinkladze left Manchester City for Dutch club Ajax for £5 million. The move brought a reunion with Shota Arveladze, with whom he shared a house in Amsterdam. However, Kinkladze's spell at Ajax proved unsuccessful. He was originally signed as a replacement for Jari Litmanen, but Litmanen stayed at Ajax as his proposed move to Barcelona fell through. As a result, Kinkladze played in an unfamiliar left-wing position. His league debut for Ajax came in a 2–0 win against Willem II on 23 August 1998, but he made few starts. To compound matters, manager Morten Olsen was sacked early in the season, and a disagreement with replacement Jan Wouters resulted in Kinkladze losing his place in the team. "I could have been Maradona and he wouldn't have changed the system to accommodate me", Kinkladze recalled later. "I wasn't playing football and that made my life hell." He immediately started to look elsewhere. Several English top-flight clubs showed interest in signing him, but were discouraged by work permit issues. His lack of regular playing time also resulted in him losing his place in the Georgian national team. Having failed to established himself in the first team and struggling with a succession of injuries, he made just 12 appearances for Ajax in his first season. Kinkladze was not issued a squad number for his second season, and was made to train with the reserve team. In September 1999, Kinkladze held transfer talks with Sheffield United, but no move materialised. Two months later, a return to England was secured in the form of a loan move to Derby County. Derby County As Kinkladze was not playing regular international football when he signed for Derby, he was not automatically entitled to a work permit, but a review panel gave him special dispensation, due to his previous contribution to English football. He made his debut on 28 November 1999, coming on as a substitute for Avi Nimni in a 1–2 loss against Arsenal, the first of 14 loan appearances. He scored his first Derby goal on 4 March 2000 in a