Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has landed his next managerial job.
Kuyt began his coaching career with Dutch second tier club ADO Den Haag at the start of last season. The 43-year-old was sacked in November 2022 after 16 games in charge, leaving the team 17th in the Erste Divisie, but has found his next opportunity in Belgium.
Belgian side Beerschot have confirmed Kuyt’s appointment as manager until the end of the current campaign. The club sit 2nd in the Belgian second tier but were left hunting for a new head coach after manager Andreas Wieland informed Beerschot of his intention to leave.
“I am happy that I can sign with a club with such a beautiful history,” Kuyt said in a club statement. “That’s what I like, clubs with a rich tradition and history. I thought Beerschot was the perfect next step in my career. I can’t wait to start this new challenge with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”
“I am a coach who loves attacking football with high intensity. In that respect, I think the Beerschot club also suits me very well. ‘Blood on the posts’, giving everything to win a match, that is who I am as a person. That’s how I was in the past as a football player, but that’s how I am now as a coach.”
Beerschot are targeting a return to the Belgian Pro League after suffering relegation in 2021. The club’s sporting director described Kuyt as a coach “with a strong drive” when discussing his appointment.
“We had a very good feeling with Dirk from the first conversation,” said Beerschot’s sporting director Gyorgy Csepregi. “We were looking for a young and modern coach. Someone with feelings of revenge and a strong drive. Someone who will do everything he can to succeed here and we think we have found that person in Dirk Kuyt.”
The 43-year-old spent six years of his playing career with the Reds, becoming a staple of Rafa Benitez’s side and was part of the team that reached the 2007 Champions League final. Kuyt made 285 appearances for the Reds, where his renowned work-rate helped make him a club icon.
