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Former Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga has used new Reds signing Milos Kerkez as an example for Owen Wijndal to follow in the Netherlands after speaking with Arne Slot.
Wijndal was previously at AZ Alkmaar, just like the Hungarian, before he moved to Ajax for a fee of around $11.7 million (£8.7 million). However, since making the switch, he has struggled for consistent game time.
He has not lived up to the hype since joining the Eredivisie giant, but Heitinga has not given up on Wijndal. Instead, he has demanded more from the full-back, with Kerkez put forward as an example.
"He has to show it in pre-season!" Heitinga said. "So far, he’s been going full throttle. I’ve sat down with him and given him the example of Milos Kerkez.
"He replaced him at AZ, then he went to Bournemouth, and now even to Liverpool. So, what do you want? What are your ambitions? You’ll get the pre-season in any case.
"Then the moment will come when we make the decision. I’ve also spoken to Arne (Slot) about him. He has to show it, just like the rest."
It will be interesting to see how Heitinga does as a number one. He was a very highly rated assistant coach and has previous experience of being the main man, having done the role at Ajax on an interim basis.
As for Liverpool, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has come in to replace Heitinga. He too is someone who has vast experience and has also been a head coach in the past.
Van Bronckhorst, of course, knows what it takes to become a player at an elite club. He made over 100 league appearances for Barcelona, while playing over 40 Premier League games for Arsenal from 2001 to 2004.
Now 50, he earned 106 caps for the Netherlands between 1996 and 2010. He also played for Feyenoord and was also its head coach from 2015 to 2019.
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In his last job, Van Bronckhorst was fired by Besiktas. That was in November of last year and he has been out of work since.
That decision came just a few months into his tenure, after a Europa League defeat to Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv — with former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eventually taking his place in January.
Prior to that, Van Bronckhorst was in charge of Rangers and worked in China, giving him a lengthy CV. His work with Liverpool has begun this week and the Reds will play Preston North End in their first summer friendly tomorrow.
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