Van Hooijdonk and Van der Vaart Express Concern for Heitinga‘s Future at Ajax
Amsterdam, September 29, 2025 – Former Dutch internationals Pierre van Hooijdonk and Rafael van der vaart voiced meaningful doubts about John Heitinga’s position as Ajax manager following a lackluster 2-1 victory over NAC Breda on Saturday. The pair shared their concerns during a live broadcast of studio football.
Van Hooijdonk stated, “I fear the worst for Johnny,” signaling a pessimistic outlook for the current coach. He elaborated, noting a negative atmosphere within the Johan Cruijff Arena, even during the players’ post-match acknowledgement of the crowd, describing Heitinga as a “dead man walking.”
Van der Vaart concurred with his colleague’s assessment. He highlighted the challenging upcoming schedule for ajax,which includes a match against Olympique Marseille on Tuesday,followed by fixtures against Sparta (away),AZ (home),Chelsea (away),and FC Twente (away).
“I wouldn’t get out of bed for days tomorrow,” Van der Vaart joked,but added a serious note,acknowledging the difficulty Heitinga will face navigating the demanding series of games.
Van der Vaart concluded, “It is very difficult. Johnny is a world goer…but it doesn’t work. You notice that. You saw that yesterday and then you win,so then everyone is still a bit happy. You can play badly, but you should have losing 6-2.”
