Van Persie hints at coaching role after stepping down from playing

Dutch footballer Robin van Persie has indicated the ambition of stepping into coaching, once he steps down from his playing career at the end of the season. The 35-year-old is currently in the ranks of boyhood club Feyenoord where he has impressed with 17 goals across all competitions for the club.

Speaking to Belgian outlet Sport/Foot, Van Persie indicated that he learned plenty during his initial years at Arsenal and he is hoping to share the same knowledge with upcoming talents in the future, he said: “Whether it was Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, I learned from them by asking questions, but also watching them. At first, it was just analysis: how does Pires make his decisions? What’s Ljungberg doing? How does Henry choose his position? I would watch Bergkamp move constantly between the lines and thought: Wow! That’s what I wanted to achieve. I learned so much in those first few years at Arsenal that I want to give all that back.”

Van Persie returned to former club Feyenoord from Fenerbahce at the beginning of 2018 and he has not quite helped them to challenge for the title unlike former teammate Dirk Kuyt. Nonetheless, his efforts have helped Feyenoord seal the third spot for the season and that should see them begin their Europa League campaign at the second qualifying round.

Meanwhile, Dutch football has been on the rise over the past year and Ajax have exemplified the same with their progress to the semi-final stage of the Champions League. The Eredivisie giants have beaten Real Madrid and Juventus enroute to the last four of the competition and they are now scheduled to face Tottenham Hotspur across two legs. On paper, Spurs are favourites to progress but Ajax can’t be taken lightly with their current run of form.