Mohammed Kudus has given Liverpool followers an perception into how good an appointment the Reds may have made in Johnny Heitinga.
The 40-year-old has joined Arne Slot’s backroom employees as an assistant coach, having beforehand labored with the Ghanaian at each Ajax (as caretaker supervisor within the second half of the 2022/23 season) and West Ham (as David Moyes’ quantity two final time period).
Chatting with Voetbal Primeur, the Irons attacker had big reward for LFC’s newest off-field addition from their shared experiences in Amsterdam and east London.
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Kudus mentioned: “I felt excellent below Heitinga. He was the very best coach I had at Ajax…Aside from the coaching side, I additionally maintain him in excessive regard when it comes to requirements and values. Personally, I might have preferred to have labored with him longer.
“He’s a high coach and I actually appreciated his efforts to make the gamers higher on the time. When he took over for the remainder of the season, he instantly confirmed affect. Issues acquired higher.”
Upon their reunion on the London Stadium final September, the 23-year-old mentioned: “Once we noticed one another once more, there have been issues that linked us instantly. He tried to make me and all the opposite gamers higher. I’m very grateful to him for our time at West Ham.”
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This testimony from Kudus actually portrays Heitinga in a really constructive gentle and presumably goes some option to explaining why Liverpool have employed the previous Everton defender as an assistant to Slot.
The 40-year-old revived Ajax’s fortunes considerably within the season earlier than final, successful 14 of his 22 matches in cost as they overcame a dreadful first half of the Eredivisie marketing campaign to finally end simply in need of the Champions League positions.
The Dutchman additionally performed a component in serving to the Ghana ahead to take pleasure in an amazing first 12 months at West Ham, netting 14 occasions in 45 appearances, with a type of objectives coming of their 2-2 draw in opposition to the Reds in April.
Kudus’ perception means that Heitinga is a coach who’s very shrewd on the coaching floor whereas additionally speaking brilliantly with gamers and enabling them to get the very best out of themselves.
When the time comes that the ex-Everton defender leaves Anfield, hopefully everybody who performs for the primary crew throughout his tenure could have simply as glowing an appraisal because the Irons attacker.
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