Rangers coach Dave Vos criticised for nature of Ajax departure
Rangers coach Dave Vos has been criticised for the way he left Ajax by two of his players from the Dutch club.
The 38-year-old was appointed as assistant manager at Ibrox last month (26 November) after Giovanni van Bronckhorst was confirmed as Steven Gerrard’s replacement in the dugout.
Vos had been in charge of Ajax’s Under-18 side and it was reported that he told his players that he was leaving after they had beaten Besiktas 1-0 in the UEFA Youth League.
Ajax’s official website said that it “came as a total surprise to everyone.”
Speaking to the club’s media channels, 17-year-old winger Raphael Sarfo opened up on Vos’s exit.
“I was not very happy with that,” he said “I have known him all my youth at Ajax and I have a very good relationship with him.”
Centre-back Tristan Gooijer added: “It was a bit of a shock because it actually came out of nowhere. But I think if we just stay strong as a team and remember his game principles it will work.”
Highly rated coach
While it is obvious that Ajax’s young players – and indeed everyone at the club – were frustrated about Vos’s departure, it also shows how highly they valued him as a coach.
Vos was clearly a big influence on the next generation of talent in the academy and they enjoyed playing under him.
This may give Rangers hope that they might be able to lure a few talented youngsters from Amsterdam to Glasgow.
It is also reflective of the level of coach that the Bears have on their hands. Vos was rated highly in the Netherlands, where he also worked with the national FA alongside developing the stars of Ajax’s academy such as Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek and Frenkie de Jong.
Therefore it is a huge compliment that Vos wanted to move away from that and join van Bronckhorst at Rangers and hopefully he can play a key part in the club’s future.
In other Rangers news, Giovanni van Bronckhorst could rest these two players against Lyon in the Europa League.