FC Utrecht have appointed Ron Jans as the club’s new head coach. The 64-year-old will be the permanent successor to Michael Silberbauer at the Stadion Galgenwaard. Jans has spent the last three seasons in charge of FC Twente, where he won 55 of his 115 matches in charge. Now, he’s put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Utrecht.
Ron Jans is a highly experienced head coach. The Dutchman has spent over 30 years as a football manager, having previously managed the likes of FC Groningen, Heerenveen, Standard Liège and PEC Zwolle. He also spent one season managing MLS side FC Cincinnati. Last season, Jans guided FC Twente to a fifth-place finish in the Eredivisie. His side then went on to make it to the Europa Conference League qualification round.
Regarding the appointment, Utrecht’s technical director Jordy Zuidman said ‘We are extremely happy to have Ron on board. He has worked as Head Coach at various clubs at home and abroad, brings with him a lot of experience, is a Dutch trainer who knows the Eredivisie inside and out and has proven at several clubs that he can get the most out of a group of players.’ He continued by adding ‘Ron Jans works with an offensive look. He is a team builder. The teams he trains play football with great joy. He also dares to give young, talented players a chance. Ron will be working intensively on this from Monday and we understand that this takes time.’
Utrecht have had the worst possible start to the new campaign. The club are third from bottom in the table, having lost all of their opening four matches. This resulted in the sacking of Michael Silberbauer. Over the summer, Utrecht signed 14 new players. The board felt that change was required in order to get the best out of the new-look squad and they believe that Ron Jans is the best man for the job.
