Mohammed Kudus has given Liverpool fans an insight into how good an appointment the Reds may just have made in Johnny Heitinga.
The 40-year-old has joined Arne Slot’s backroom staff as an assistant coach, having previously worked with the Ghanaian at both Ajax (as caretaker manager in the second half of the 2022/23 season) and West Ham (as David Moyes’ number two last term).
Speaking to Voetbal Primeur, the Irons attacker had huge praise for LFC’s latest off-field addition from their shared experiences in Amsterdam and east London.
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Kudus said: “I felt very good under Heitinga. He was the best coach I had at Ajax…Apart from the training aspect, I also hold him in high regard in terms of standards and values. Personally, I would have liked to have worked with him longer.
“He is a top trainer and I really appreciated his efforts to make the players better at the time. When he took over for the rest of the season, he immediately showed impact. Things got better.”
Upon their reunion at the London Stadium last September, the 23-year-old said: “When we saw each other again, there were things that connected us immediately. He tried to make me and all the other players better. I am very grateful to him for our time at West Ham.”
This testimony from Kudus certainly portrays Heitinga in a very positive light and possibly goes some way to explaining why Liverpool have hired the former Everton defender as an assistant to Slot.
The 40-year-old revived Ajax’s fortunes somewhat in the season before last, winning 14 of his 22 matches in charge as they overcame a dreadful first half of the Eredivisie campaign to ultimately finish just short of the Champions League positions.
The Dutchman also played a part in helping the Ghana forward to enjoy a tremendous first year at West Ham, netting 14 times in 45 appearances, with one of those goals coming in their 2-2 draw against the Reds in April.
Kudus’ insight suggests that Heitinga is a coach who’s very shrewd on the training ground while also communicating brilliantly with players and enabling them to get the best out of themselves.
When the time comes that the ex-Everton defender leaves Anfield, hopefully everyone who plays for the first team during his tenure will have just as glowing an appraisal as the Irons attacker.
