Van Basten to assist Blind at Dutch national team

Marco van Basten returns to the staff of the Dutch national team, but not as head coach, but as assistant of new head coach Danny Blind, the Dutch football association KNVB announced on Thursday.

The 50-year-old former Dutch international Van Basten will leave his post as assistant of AZ Alkmaar and will the Dutch national team as of August 1 until July 31, 2018. On the same day of the start of the contract of Van Basten Blind will begin as new head coach.

Blind succeeded Guus Hiddink who left last month. Ruud van Nistelrooy stays on as the other assistant of Blind.

"I am looking forward to this interesting job and the cooperation with Blind," said Van Basten in a press release. "I had to make a difficult choice, because I really liked my role at AZ. The challenge at the Dutch team made me make this choice."

In September last year Van Basten quit as head coach of AZ, after which he continued as assistant. The pressure of his job as head coach gave him too much stress and heart palpitations.

The former Dutch international began his coaching career at the reserves team of Ajax in 2003 and from 2004 he already was coach of the Dutch national team for four years, leading "Oranje" at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. After that he was coach at Ajax for the 2008/2009 season and in 2012 he returned as coach of sc Heerenveen. Endi