Van Persie leaves Feyenoord for first job as head coach in Heerenveen | Football

Heerenveen cannot confirm the news to NU.nl, but several media are reporting his arrival. Van Persie will succeed Kees van Wonderen, who will leave after the season.

Feyenoord wanted to continue with Van Persie, who is currently coach of Feyenoord under 18. However, the Rotterdam club could not meet his wish to become head coach. Van Persie does get that chance at Heerenveen.

The all-time top scorer of the Dutch national team has worked in Feyenoord’s youth academy since mid-2021. In his first season he was an assistant coach at Feyenoord under 16. He later formed a coaching duo with Brian Pinas at the under 18. Van Persie is in the process of obtaining his highest coaching diploma.

Van Persie meets an old acquaintance at SC Heerenveen. General manager Ferry de Haan and Van Persie were teammates at Feyenoord when the club won the UEFA Cup at the beginning of this century.

Van Persie was not the only candidate for the head coach of Heerenveen. Last month, the club management held an exploratory discussion with Maurice Steijn, who was dismissed as Ajax coach in October.

Rick Kruys also had a good performance at Heerenveen, but will not be working in Friesland. The 38-year-old coach will leave VVV-Venlo after the season, with which he currently occupies eleventh place in the Kitchen Champion Division.

Van Persie faces a tough job at Heerenveen to structurally guide the team to the play-offs for European football. This year too, the Frisians are inconsistent, with the recent 0-8 defeat against PSV as the low point.