John Heitinga eyes winding down at struggling Ajax Amsterdam
Everton defender John Heitinga has said he is likely to finish his playing career at Ajax Amsterdam while backing his former team to revert to winning ways shortly.
Heitinga, who began playing for Ajax's reputed youth academy in 1990, has made eight starting appearances for Everton in the Premier League this season.
In July, the Dutchman became the fifth ever player to be sent off in a World Cup final after fouling Spain's Andres Iniesta in extra time.
Heitinga, known as an aggressive defender, started all of the Dutch team's World Cup games for manager Bert van Marwijk, whose physical approach to the game suits the player well.
Speaking to football website goal.com, the Dutch international said he does not yet see the end of his career, but added that when he does, Ajax will be where he chooses to wind down before his retirement.
"There's a big chance that I'll return to Ajax one day," Heitinga said. "It's too soon to move back to Amsterdam already though. I don't know when I'll return, but I left only three seasons ago. I'm eager
to return to Ajax later on in my career, but I want to play abroad for a few more years first."
Backs Ajax against PSV
The defender, whose prolonged injury problems resulted in only 160 first-team appearances for Ajax between 2000 and 2008, said he felt manager Martin Jol's team were due to find their form after a slow
start to the season.
Fourteen games into the season, Ajax trail league leaders PSV Eindhoven by six points ahead of the teams' encounter on Saturday 20 November.
"They have gone through some difficult times recently, but they'll get the chance to bounce back when they take on PSV at the weekend. It's now up to the players to show their class."
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