Jurgen Klopp will step down as Anfield coach at the end of the season. With that, his entourage of coaches will also be leaving Liverpool, and assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders will be taking on a new challenge.
According to HITC, Ajax, which has suffered a major setback in the first half of the season and has temporarily sunk to the relegation zone, is in talks with the Dutch coach as a candidate for the next manager, who could replace interim coach John van’t Schip.
The Dutchman, who started his coaching career with PSV Eindhoven in 2003, worked his way up from the U-19 team to the first team with FC Porto, joining Liverpool U-18 as a youth coach in August 2014 before being promoted to assistant coach the following season. He was promoted to assistant coach the following season.
From January to May 2018, he was in charge of NEC Nijmegen, where he led the team for 22 games, but after a lack of results, he returned to Klopp’s side in June of the same year. Since then, he has been the German coach’s right-hand man and has contributed to numerous title victories.
His last stint in charge didn’t go so well, but will he be able to achieve a different record with the Dutch powerhouse? However, talks are still ongoing, and the appointment has not been finalized.
What kind of coaching career will Pepijn Lijnders have in the future?