With Arne Slot officially confirmed as Liverpool’s new head coach, captain Virgil van Dijk looks to have confirmed the hiring of assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff.
Liverpool have begun the process of selecting Slot’s backroom staff, following the official announcement that he will take over on June 1.
Sipke Hulshoff is scheduled to arrive in Merseyside as Slot’s assistant manager, and Van Dijk appeared to confirm the hiring in a recent interview.
Speaking to NOS, translated by Football Oranje, the Reds captain said: “I am overjoyed for him (Slot) and his family.
“And also for Sipke (Hulshoff) of course, despite the fact that he will not be here (at the Netherlands camp).”
Van Dijk is referring to Hulshoff’s departure from his post with the Netherlands as Ronald Koeman’s assistant ahead of Euro 2024, which adds to the speculation that he will soon be confirmed as a Liverpool employee.
Who is Sipke Hulshoff?
The 49-year-old, who previously worked with Slot at SC Cambuur and Feyenoord, is scheduled to arrive in Merseyside soon.
Hulshoff, like former Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders, works closely with Slot, arranging and even leading training sessions.
He collaborated closely with Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, and Ryan Gravenberch while playing for the Netherlands national football team.
During Hulshoff’s first camp with the Dutch squad, Van Dijk lauded his impact on training, characterizing the coach as “very clear and tactically strong.”
He told vi.nl, “Of course, I hadn’t met Sipke Hulshoff before this. You need to get to know each other.
“You can see his qualities, and I like them. Hopefully, he can maintain that level of performance. He is quite clear and tactically strong. I appreciate it when he leads a training session.
Appointments are already made.
Of course, we know Slot will be the new head coach, but Liverpool has also hired a first-team lead physical performance coach.
Ruben Peeters has been confirmed by his agency to take on the post. His work appears to overlap with the roles held by Andreas Kornmayer and Andreas Schlumberger previous to their exits this summer.
Kornmayer oversaw fitness and conditioning, while Schlumberger was in charge of recuperation and performance.
The Reds need to make more backroom changes this summer and have listed several openings at the AXA Training Centre.
This comprises a first-team physiotherapist and a physical performance coach who specializes in strength and conditioning.
