Liverpool are hopeful that Jurgen Klopp’s No.2 Pep Lijnders will return to the club at some stage along his coaching journey according to Arne Slot’s first boss.
Henk De Jong, the former manager of Dutch side Cambuur, appointed Slot as his assistant when the club were in the second division in 2014, before Slot succeeded him in the top job two years later.
De Jong was invited to Liverpool’s Kirkby base last week to provide Klopp and his staff with the lowdown on Slot, who will succeed the German as Reds manager this summer, and he says that the Reds hope Lijnders, who is leaving with Klopp, will come back one day.
“Everyone at Liverpool is hoping that Arne is going to do really well,” said De Jong. “Pep Lijnders is not staying, but I sensed everyone at Liverpool is hoping Pep will come back to the club one day.
“They all spoke very highly about him and I really think he has built a big reputation for himself.”
Lijnders wants to embark on his own career as a manager having been hugely influential in Liverpool’s successes under Klopp. The Reds assistant is departing along with fellow assistant Peter Krawietz, development coach Vitor Matos and goalkeeping coach John Achterberg in a huge summer of change at Anfield.
Speaking to Mirror Football last month, Reds captain Virgil van Dijk said he believes Lijnders, 41, will have a huge future in the game.
“Hopefully he will carry on his development, and if he becomes a head coach somewhere then he could be very successful,” said Van Dijk.
“You never know that the future might bring. You need a bit of luck as a coach as well, and you need the right circumstances, but he’s been very important for the success of the club and we will never forget that.
“So whatever happens I wish him all the best and the success that he deserves, so let’s see. I should also be exciting for him to see what the next chapter will be. I will forever be thankful for everything he’s done for us in the football club.”
