Former Netherlands international Urby Emanuelson has confirmed he'll join John Heitinga's staff at Ajax.
The 39-year-old Emanuelson started his professional career at Ajax after spending years in the club's famous youth academy. The versatile Emanuelson played 255 games for Ajax between 2004 and 2011, winning the KNVB Beker three times and claiming three Johan Cruyff Shields. The 17-time Dutch international went on to play for AC Milan, Fulham, AS Roma, Atalanta, Hellas Verona, Sheffield Wednesday, and FC Utrecht before retiring in 2022.
After retiring, Emanuelson took on assistant roles at FC Utrecht before returning to Ajax, where he's been an assistant manager for the club's U21 side since 2023.
Emanuelson, who's in Slovakia as a pundit for the U21 Euros, confirmed on X that he'll start a new position at Ajax.
"The news is out. I was in the news far too much again over the past few days. Back to business as usual. Making our players better," said Emanuelson.
The former Netherlands international told Ziggo Sport that the former Netherlands international will not take up the role as assistant but will work more closely with the players and act as a bridge between the coach and staff.