John heitinga supported by two liverpool stars after emotional exit statement

LIVERPOOL CONFIRMED THE DEPARTURE OF JOHN HEITINGA ON SATURDAY AS HE BECAME AJAX HEAD COACH 12:30, 01 Jun 2025 John Heitinga has paid tribute to Arne Slot and Liverpool after leaving his

role at Anfield to become Ajax head coach. The Reds granted the Dutchman permission to speak to the Eredivisie giants after Francesco Farioli stepped down after their late season collapse

saw them lose out on the title to PSV Eindhoven. Heitinga joined Liverpool as part of Slot's staff as the former Feyenoord boss looked to add a wealth of Premier League experience to

his backroom before their first Premier League campaign in charge of the Reds. The 41-year-old utilised his nous of England's top-flight to help the Reds to summit, spending a year

coaching with David Moyes at West Ham United before his move to Merseyside. READ MORE: Linda Pizzuti thanks Liverpool supporters for trophy parade turnout - 'It was magical'READ

MORE: Milos Kerkez speaks out on potential Liverpool move after £45m transfer interest Ajax technical director Alex Kroes admitted that they interviewed Heitinga for the position last

season, with the Italian being appointed over him, but says he felt the move was right for the club after his experience with the Reds. And the former Liverpool coach described his time at

Anfield as "fantastic", speaking in his club interview, Heitinga said: "You never know in football, the most important thing is to keep developing yourself. "To gain

experience and knowledge, now I'm here again. Educational, amazing really. I gained international experience, got a look behind-the-scenes in perhaps the biggest competition in the

world. Article continues below "I got to work with two coaches of which one has been around for a long time and the other got to continue Jurgen Klopp's legacy. "I think

together we built something wonderful there last season. I had a fantastic year there, winning the league was the crown to our work. "But the conversation I had with Alex (Kroes - Ajax

technical director) and Marijn (Beuker - Ajax director of football), the idea behind it all made me very excited to start here. "I have been following Ajax recently and I was able to

watch a lot, that's what you get when you live in England and your family lives in Amsterdam, you have some spare time. "Ajax also continued to develop, Farioli built something

here and we want to continue working on that, that's why I'm excited to start." Following his move, he took to social media to offer his gratitude to the club while some of

his Dutch compatriots, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch were among those who offered their support. In a post on Instagram, he said: "One year at Liverpool. A season full of energy

and moments to remember. "Thank you to everyone at the club – for the warmth, and the loyalty. It was short, but powerful." Article continues below