AJAX have announced John Heitinga as their interim manager until the end of this already turbulent campaign.
The reigning Dutch champions sacked Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag’s successor Alfred Schreuder last week.
The Amsterdam giants have now confirmed that former Under-23 coach Heitinga, 39, will be in charge until June when a permanent appointment will be made.
Ajax announced: “Ajax and John Heitinga have agreed on the 39-year-old ex-football player remaining head coach of Ajax 1 for the rest of the season.
“Dwight Lodeweges has been appointed as assistant coach in Heitinga’s technical staff, with immediate effect.”
Schreuder’s short stint at Ajax came to an end after a run of seven competitive games without a win, even though they only lost once to PSV Eindhoven.
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The final nail in the coffin for the Dutch tactician was a draw with Volendam.
Everton cult hero Heitinga replaced him and ended the winless streak with a 4-1 win at Excelsior on Sunday.
But he still has a lot of work to do with Ajax sitting fourth in the table, five points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord.
Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar said: “We are convinced that this is the right solution. John is on a clear and steady path, which has resulted in him developing himself very well over the years.
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“Gerry Hamstra, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and I have had multiple conversations, and we obviously held some with John. We feel confident about John’s qualities and the vision he has.
“While looking for additions to the technical staff, we unanimously agreed on Dwight Lodeweges. His knowledge and extensive coaching experience work complementary to John and the rest of the staff.
“The team now has to win, work on their confidence, and develop themselves further. We still have a lot to fight for this season.”
Heitinga enjoyed a successful career as a footballer that saw him win two Eredivisie titles with Ajax.
The former centre-back was also part of the Netherlands squad that made it to the 2010 World Cup Final.
The Dutchman spent five years at Everton after his move from Atletico Madrid in 2009.
The interim boss also played for Fulham in 2014 until he signed for Hertha Berlin a few months later.
Heitinga finished his career at Ajax in 2016 and soon took over as youth coach.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
