With the news that former Ajax Cape Town head of youth and coach Maarten Stekelenburg has been appointed as the assistant coach of the Netherlands national team to Ronald Koeman, the Mother City-based club has expressed excitement.
On behalf of the Urban Warriors, spokesperson Thabiso 'Shooz' Mekuto has stated they are proud of their former manager, saying it is not surprising to see him grow as a coach.
Moreover, Mekuto said the 37-year-old manager follows on the footsteps on the likes of Foppe De Haan, who also led the former Premier Soccer League (PSL) side.
“It is a huge achievement for him and Ajax Cape Town, we are very excited. Obviously he came from Ajax Amsterdam and joined the club as a youth coach,” Mekuto told Goal.
“This achievement shows that our link with Ajax Amsterdam continues to reap the rewards. This is a testament that we are not only focusing on young players but on the coaches as well. There is quality in the relationship between the two clubs or nations.
“He has been the ambassador for both the Netherlands and the two clubs, Ajax Amsterdam and Cape Town.
“This appointment doesn’t come as a surprise for us because Maarten came here if you remember as a youth coach, his primary focus was youth football and he has shown his quality in the U17 and U20 national team.
“I think he took the U17 to the World Cup final or finished second. He has done a lot behind the scenes for the past six years and this appointment really doesn’t come as a surprise.”
Although he took charge of the senior team during the 2011/12 season, Mekuto added that the new Oranje assistant boss was focusing on youth development but wanted to test his ability at the senior level.
“We are delighted as a club because we contributed to his success, remember he came as the youth of coach to work with us, even in those days he had an opportunity to work with the first team,” he added.
“It was not a bad thing to measure his progress and we helped to develop him as a person and a professional. Just like our former coaches such as Foppe De Haan, he learned through the ropes and we are really happy for him.
“We wish him all the best in his new role and there’s no doubt the future is bright for Maarten. I would like to steal from Mamelodi Sundowns' slogan to say 'The Sky is the Limit' for him.
“He has all the attributes of being a top coach because he understands the game very well. I believe he is now ready to showcase his skills with the senior national team.”
Ahead of the Euro 2020 tournament, the former Everton keeper has been joined by former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy on Koeman’s bench.