Pepijn Lijnders has left his role as an assistant coach at Liverpool to become the new manager of Eerste Divisie side NEC Nijmegen.
- By Michael Bell
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The 34-year-old has signed a contract with NEC until the summer of 2019 and replaces Adrie Bogers, who has taken a different role at the club.
Lijnders has been with Liverpool since 2014, originally as a youth coach before being made a first-team development coach in 2015. Lijnders was a valued member of Jurgen Klopp’s backroom staff since the German took over in 2015 but he has now left to take on his first head coaching role.
On the Liverpool website, Lijnders said on his departure, “I could write for hours thanking the people at Liverpool who have helped me since I came here and the decision to leave has not been easy.
“In general terms I would like to thank all the amazing players and staff at Melwood and the Academy at Kirkby, who I’ve been privileged to work with. Also, at Anfield – that is such a special place with special people and I never took for granted going to work at one of the greatest stadiums in the world every other week.
“This club is so, so lucky to have someone of Jürgen’s calibre leading its football team – he is world-class, truly world-class and I hope to take many of the great lessons I learned from him, Zeljko Buvac, Peter Krawietz and John Achterberg into my own future leading a side.
“Working with the first-team squad was magical. They confirmed every day that everything starts and ends with passion for the game. With the quality this club already has in the building, only time is against this project.
“You don’t really say goodbye to Liverpool Football Club, because you will always have to represent its honesty and passion wherever you go. It’s a stamp on your back.
“I’m proud of each day that I could represent them directly and I will give my best to do so in my next chapter. Hopefully they will be proud of me as well.”
NEC currently sit 2nd in the Eerste Divisie table.
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