Dirk kuyt, steven gerrard, slot's old ally - how can liverpool replace heitinga?

Liverpool have given permission for assistant coach John Heitinga to hold talks with Ajax over being appointed their new head coach. The Dutch giants threw away a nine-point lead at the top

of the Eredivisie to lose the title to their rivals PSV Eindhoven, which has seen Francesco Farioli stepping down from his post. Heitinga, a former Everton player who has made the step into

coaching, had a strong reputation from previous roles at Ajax and West Ham United, before joining Arne Slot's new team of staff at Liverpool. Their collective methods have paid off by

winning the Premier League title. Now, amid such interest Slot has commented: "If Ajax would be smart, they would consider him. He is ready to take on a job like that. If John is smart,

he would stay one more season." If Heitinga, 41, were to decide it is time he progresses his own coaching career, Anfield chiefs would need to have a replacement lined up. Here, the

ECHO takes a look at five possible candidates. DIRK KUYT Reports suggest former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt is being lined up as a potential successor to Heitinga. Football Insider have

claimed that the Dutchman could unite with Slot, who he played with during his playing career. Kuyt already has managerial experience with the likes ADO Den Haag and most recently Beerschot

in Belgium, however the report suggests that he could leave the club after two years in charge, where he led them to promotion to the top-flight in the region but couldn't keep them up

as they finished bottom of the Pro League's relegation group. The 44-year-old has an affinity to the Reds where he scored 51 goals in 208 league appearances - winning the League Cup in

2012. STEVEN GERRARD Now, former captain and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard would have an interesting decision to make if the club came calling. On the one hand, the 44-year-old already has

an established managerial career. So far he has enjoyed huge success with Rangers, then taken charge of Aston Villa and up until this January, Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq, therefore he

may view reverting to an assistant's role as somewhat of a backwards step. Especially as he has been linked with a return to Ibrox and has also been mentioned in reports relating to

various vacant managerial positions at Championship clubs. But if that is to be Gerrard's stature within the English game and Slot made the offer to become his assistant, is there any

real reason to say no? He has lived and breathed Liverpool all of his life, understanding what it means to be here and has the passion to fill the void potentially left by Heitinga in that

last regard. Supporters would relish the chance to see this man with his hands on the Premier League trophy, even if he is only on the coaching staff for now. THIAGO ALCANTARA Injuries

brought Thiago Alcantara's illustrious playing career to an end in 2024, announcing his retirement shortly after finishing his four-year spell with Liverpool. The 34-year-old then

interestingly joined up with his former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick, who took over at his other former club Barcelona last summer, as an assistant on a temporary basis. That arrangement

ended up only lasting a month. "I had the chance to get into football again, helping the coaching staff of Barcelona. "I decided for the practical part, not for the theory – just

because of the experience I had doing all these years in football and the kind of role I had in the team. I just want to pass it through to other players. I love to help new players as well,

young players to develop under the coach. It was pretty good spirits," he said last September. With his background as a midfield general, when he wasn't playing for the Reds -

either because he was on Jurgen Klopp's substitutes bench or because of his fitness - he could still be seen entering the dugout to dish out advice to teammates. He is obviously a

leader of men, and back at Anfield could be the start of the next stage of his career. PEP LIJNDERS Pep Lijnders was Reds assistant manager under Jurgen Klopp for the majority of the

German's tenure, would he return to help Slot? It's difficult to envisage as the 42-year-old Dutchman quite clearly has managerial ambitions of his own, much like Gerrard. It must

be pointed out that this hasn't gone to plan in the year he has been away from Anfield. Lijnders was given the Red Bull Salzburg job, taking charge of Austria's 17-time champions,

but it he was dismissed with the side sitting 10 points adrift of first place in December 2024. He is reportedly in contention to take over at Championship side Norwich City. But there is no

doubting that his strong understanding of the game would help this Reds team tactically. ETIENNE REIJNEN Slot's former assistant at Feyenoord, Etienne Reijnen, was linked with a move

to Liverpool last summer but could not do so because of work permit issues. If that can be resolved, the possibility of the Dutchmen linking up could come alive. The 38-year-old finished a

15-year career five years ago, during which he played across clubs in the Eredivisie. He gained experience as an assistant and technical director, before he joining Slot's Feyenoord

staff in November 2023. After Slot and the rest of his staff moved to Anfield he stayed on under replacement manager Brian Priske, and then kept on again to work under Robin van Persie.