Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders is «under consideration» to become the new permanent Ajax boss as he prepares to branch out on his own when Jurgen Klopp leaves Anfield.
Lijnders has been on the Liverpool staff for the best part of the last ten years, briefly leaving for the first six months of 2018 for a short-lived spell in charge of Dutch club NEC Nijmegen. Since returning to Anfield, the 41-year-old has been a crucial part of the setup that has delivered Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup trophies.
Ready to move back into management six years on from Nijmegen, writes that Lijnders has emerged as an contender for Ajax as they weigh up their options. John van 't Schip is currently in charge on an interim basis until the end of the season after replacing Maurice Steijn in October.
Lijnders was in contact with Ajax in January when he was consulted over the club's signing of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. Whatever job he gets, he is expected to take elite development coach Vitor Matos with him as the Portuguese is also set to leave Anfield when Klopp does.
Liverpool are famed for the historic 'Boot Room', which saw numerous managers from the 1960s through to the 1990s promoted into the top job after cutting their teeth on the coaching staff. But Lijnders hasn't really been in the conversation when it comes to replacing Klopp.
The Dutchman effectively ruled himself out of it, suggesting more than once he is looking forward to starting afresh somewhere as he challenges himself as a manager. Staying behind after Klopp had gone to assist the transition at Anfield wasn't an option for him either.
«I always said I will finish with Jurgen; the moment I will not assist anyone else, that’s the
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