Two of Arne Slot's old assistant coaches at Liverpool, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Sipke Hulshoff, are set to take on a new role very familiar to the Dutchman this summer
12:34, 15 Jun 2026Updated 12:40, 15 Jun 2026
Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst were assistants to Arne Slot at Liverpool.
Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst were assistants to Arne Slot at Liverpool.(Image: Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Two of Arne Slot's old assistants at Liverpool, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Sipke Hulshoff, are set to take charge of Feyenoord this summer, a couple of weeks after the Dutchman was dismissed.
Van Bronckhorst and Hulshoff will be head coach and assistant coach respectively at the club that Slot used to manage. Their departures from Anfield were confirmed last week, as expected when Slot was replaced by Andoni Iraola.
Ex-Arsenal and Barcelona star Van Bronckhorst has previously managed Feyenoord, Rangers and Besiktas. He effectively replaced John Heitinga at Liverpool last summer when he moved to Ajax, a role that he was fired from a few months later.
Slot, meanwhile, is being touted for the Netherlands job when Ronald Koeman leaves. He was briefly linked with the AC Milan job, but that is set to be taken on by Ruben Amorim.
On Sunday, the Netherlands drew 2-2 with Japan in their World Cup opener. Virgil van Dijk scored in that game, assisted by Ryan Gravenberch's arched cross into the penalty area.
Koeman, 63, is under pressure to deliver at this tournament, with the Netherlands hoping to go deep into the latter stages in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Sipke Hulshoff and Arne Slot during a Liverpool training session.
Sipke Hulshoff and Arne Slot during a Liverpool training session.(Image: Nikki Dyer - Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
But the Dutch media and pundits are notoriously hard to impress, and former midfielder Rafael van der Vaart was particularly harsh on Liverpool captain Van Dijk.
"I have to be honest: I was quite shocked by Van Dijk," the former Netherlands, Real Madrid and Tottenham man said in the NOS studio at the half-time break.
"With him, I thought: that doesn’t look good. Especially while turning. It is proving very difficult. A bit like a Boeing 747 turning. I hope he starts turning a bit faster during the tournament."
Shortly after that criticism, Van Dijk scored. While the Netherlands were unable to hang on for the victory, they should comfortably qualify for the knockout phase.
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"It was obviously a brilliant delivery from Gravenberch, and we know how good they are from set-pieces," Roy Keane said on ITV Sport's coverage of the game.
"Van Dijk is obviously on a good run of form in terms of scoring goals. He’s had a tough season. Some of the deliveries tonight from set-pieces weren’t great but when it comes back to Gravenberch...
"We saw Japan dropping deeper and deeper and once it goes in it’s an absolutely fantastic header from Van Dijk. "He’s such a goal threat, brilliant finish. Going in off the post, brilliant. The way he guided it, there’s no pace in it, but fantastic header."