The 47-year-old Dutchman expects the Friesland outfit to compete in UEFA Champions League next season.
Marco van Basten will succeed SC Heerenveen’s current head coach, Ron Jans, in the summer of 2012 after signing a two-year contract. The 47-year-old Dutchman expressed optimism and revealed that he expects the Friesland outfit to compete in UEFA Champions
League next term.
Jans, who was appointed as the Heerenveen boss in the summer of 2010, has an expiring contract that runs until the end of the ongoing 2011/12 campaign. Although the club management wanted to renew his deal, the 53-year-old denied extending his contract.
The Friesland outfit are currently sitting third in the Eredivisie table, a mere five points behind the table-toppers http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 Eindhoven. The former Ajax Amsterdam manager, who will take over the charge at Abe Lenstra Stadion this summer, expects Jans’ side to
qualify for Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
“They are doing well, so I do not want to become a troublemaker. I will keep an eye on things and there will be conversations, but I must be no obstruction”, Van Basten was quoted as saying to De Telegraaf.
The former Dutch International then went on to assert that it would be a good experience for the Friesland outfit to play in the Europe’s elite competition. The 47-year-old also added that he will put all his efforts in making Heerenveen a club that will
challenge for the title consistently.
“It would be nice if we could play Champions League. This is an ambitious club that wants to play at a higher level, but is also realistic. I want to do all I can to build on that next season”, Van Basten concluded.
The 47-year-old managed the Dutch National team from 2004 to 2008. Though the Oranje achieved impressive results under the leadership of the former AC Milan striker, they failed to bag any trophy.
In the summer of 2008, he signed a contract with Ajax Amsterdam, but stepped down from his post at Amsterdam Arena at the end of the 2008/09 season after failing to earn Champions League qualification. Since then, he has been working for the Dutch television
channel, Sport1.
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