Ajax Legends Join Backroom
A staffing overhaul at Ajax has seen a number of club legends join the backroom staff.
The news comes just hours after the appointment of Louis van Gaal and indicates a major shift towards keeping former players at the club, which has been alluded to multiple times in the past by club officials.
The most notable appointment is Marco van Basten as assistant manager. The 53 year old played 133 times for the club, scoring at nearly a goal a game, and won three Ballon D'Ors after moving to Milan in 1987. He spent a season as Ajax manager in 2008/09, resigning after a third place season, and his last senior role was at AZ Alkmaar in 2014. Now he'll have a stint as Van Gaal's right hand man but with LVG's advanced age, van Basten may be in line to take over the role in the near future.
Joining the coaching staff will be Dennis Bergkamp, John Heitinga and Patrick Kluivert, who between them add several hundred games of experience and over a hundred international caps to the backroom. Heitinga, in particular, has been touted as a potential manager of the future whilst Bergkamp is returning to the club just months after resigning from his role as assistant manager.
Other ex-players that have joined the club today, or in the past few weeks, include Ronald de Boer (scout), Michael Reiziger (Jong Ajax manager), Winston Bogarde (Jong assistant) and Edgar Davids (youth coach).