A week after firing Maurice Steijn, Ajax Amsterdam announced on Monday that they had hired John van’t Schip as their interim head coach.

After a string of four league losses left Ajax in second place, Steijn’s tenure at the club came to an end.

They fell to the basement position on Sunday following a 5-2 loss at PSV Eindhoven, the league leaders.

Read Also:Ajax Part Ways Withs Steijn After Poor run Of Results

“Ajax appoints John van’t Schip as interim head coach. The former Ajax player signs a contract with the club running from 30 October 2023 until 30 June 2025,” the club said.

“Van’t Schip and Ajax have agreed to him stepping into a function in technical management from 1 July 2024.”

The 59-year-old spent 11 years as an Ajax player before going back to the team to help Marco Van Basten as assistant manager.

In 2009, he served as interim manager.

“John is a real Ajax man, who has a lot of national and international experience, on the field and next to it.

“To us he is the right person to give a positive turn to our performances,” Ajax CEO John van Halst said.

“First as head coach of the first team, for the long term we see a different technical role for him.”

In his previous management post, he oversaw the Greece national team for more than two years until 2021.

Michael Valkanis, who served as that team’s assistant trainer, will now work with him as an assistant at Ajax.