Speaking publicly for the first time since becoming an assistant coach at Liverpool, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has explained why took he the job and stepped down from management.
Following the summer departure of assistant coach John Heitinga, who left to become Ajax manager, Liverpool had a vacancy on the coaching staff.
The approach for his fellow Dutchman, Van Bronckhorst, to take on Heitinga’s role, came as somewhat of a surprise given the 50-year-old would have to put his managerial ambitions on hold.
Having been sacked by Besiktas in November, Van Bronckhorst was without a club when Liverpool came knocking, and the former Barcelona player has now explained why he took on the job of working under Arne Slot and first assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff.
“Of course, it’s one of the things you have to think about because I had coached for 10 years before I joined,” Van Bronckhorst told Liverpoolfc.com.
“For me, the most important thing now is to enjoy my time at a place I can work in a great environment, I can work with quality players, so I didn’t have to think a long time about it.
“I knew the challenge I’d have here – together with everyone – is something I want to have. There was no issue because this is where I want to be and I only live in this moment.
“The chance to join this club at this time, I felt really excited about it and that’s why I wanted to be here. You have to be fully committed and that’s what I am.”
Since retiring from a stellar playing career in 2010, which included spells at Feyenoord, Rangers and Barcelona, as well as 106 games for the Netherlands, the left-back has gone into management.
Having held lead roles with Feyenoord, Guangzhou City, Rangers and Besiktas, he already has plenty of experience and should be an asset in Slot’s backroom staff.
He added: “I’ve felt very, very welcomed by everyone and now I can’t wait to share my experiences with the players, with Arne and the coaching staff, to continue the success for this club.
“When Arne called me about joining his staff, it was part of my decision to come but also a big part of it was the club.
“Sometimes you feel when you’re talking about a new challenge, you can sometimes almost feel right away if it’s something for you or not. If you have good vibes and a good feeling about it.
“I must say, from the first moment Arne called me I was quite excited about the challenge.”
While he didn’t play for the Reds, Van Bronckhorst is no stranger to Anfield, having visited most recently in 2022, when his Rangers team lost 2-0 in the Champions League group stage.
The Dutch coach has already been well-versed in the enormity of the club and cited the Asia tour as a moment when he understood immediately what he was joining.
“As a player and coach, I’ve always been involved in clubs that are well-known throughout the world, were always competing for the top prizes,” said the ex-Netherlands captain.
“As a player with Arsenal, Barcelona and, of course, the national team, Rangers, and Feyenoord in Holland, so it’s the environment I had all my life as a player.
“I feel I have the same experience with the size of the club Liverpool is, with how it stands in society. It is very important for the city, it is a club that is well connected within the community and I think that’s also really, really nice.
“I have been here now for a few weeks, but I could sense how big the club is straight away – including when we were in Hong Kong and Tokyo. You could feel Liverpool is well loved there and how many fans we have across the world, even to watch our training sessions.
“Once the season starts with a big game against Crystal Palace and then the start of the Premier League, you can see everyone wants to give everything every day to be as well prepared as we can be for the start.”