Liverpool players face uncertain future after John Heitinga sacked as Ajax boss
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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballLiverpool FCVitezslav Jaros and James McConnell could be impacted after former Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga was sacked by AjaxFormer Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga has been sacked as Ajax boss after less than six months in charge. And the decision of the Amsterdam club to wield the axe could have major ramifications for Reds loan duo Vitezslav Jaros and James McConnell.Heitinga was dismissed just a day after Ajax's 3-0 home Champions League defeat to Galatasaray on Wednesday - which leaves them bottom of the table after four successive losses - prompted the club's main supporters group to call for his removal.Ajax also stand eight points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord and have struggled for form since Heitinga arrived from Liverpool in May having previous been at the Amsterdam club as player, coach and interim boss.READ MORE: Arne Slot has given game away ahead of Man City after bizarre Liverpool callsREAD MORE: Arne Slot ponders surprise Florian Wirtz move as Alexander Isak Liverpool update expectedA statement from Ajax released on Thursday afternoon said: "The head coach’s contract was due to run until June 30, 2027, but will now be terminated.
The same applies to assistant coach Marcel Keizer."Ajax is looking for a new head coach; in the meantime, Fred Grim will take over Heitinga’s duties."Ajax technical director Alex Kroes said: "It's a painful decision. We’ve seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points."Reports in Holland claim talks have already taken place with Erik ten Hag over a possible return to Ajax, with the removal of Heitinga likely to have a major impact on the two Liverpool loanees.Heitinga was in particular a strong advocate for the signing of 21-year-old midfielder McConnell, who has started only two games since moving to Holland on a season-long loan in August and was limited to a 12-minute outing from the bench on Wednesday during which he was booked.Jaros, meanwhile, was initially first-choice goalkeeper having temporarily switched to Ajax at the start of the summer but has been an unused substitute in each of the last four games.Speaking last month, Heitinga's agent Rob Jansen revealed he had warned his client against returning to Ajax, where he was previously a player and interim head coach.“I told him: I wouldn’t go to Ajax right now," said Jansen, speaking on the KieftJansenEgmonGijp podcast.
"He wanted to do it based on his ego, his heart, and his feeling for the club.“That’s also a bit of opportunism, of course, for a young manager, who thinks I’ll make things work for me. But what he was confronted with was the past, a huge mess within the club.