Everton cult hero John Heitinga is appointed Ajax boss for the remainder of the season after Alfred Schreuder was dropped amid club chaos

AJAX have announced John Heitinga as interim manager until the end of their tumultuous season.

The reigning Dutch champions fired the successor to Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, Alfred Schreuder, last week.

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The Amsterdam giants have now confirmed that former U23 coach Heitinga, 39, will be in charge until June if a firm date is agreed.

Ajax announced: “Ajax and John Heitinga have agreed that the 39-year-old ex-footballer will remain the head coach of Ajax 1 for the remainder of the season.

“Dwight Lodeweges has been appointed as an assistant coach to the Heitinga technical staff, effective immediately.”

Schreuder’s short stint at Ajax ended after a run of seven competitive games without a win, despite losing just once to PSV Eindhoven.

The final nail in the Dutch tactician’s coffin was a draw against Volendam.

Everton’s cult hero Heitinga replaced him and ended the winning streak with a 4-1 win at Excelsior on Sunday.

But he still has work to do as Ajax sit fourth in the table, five points clear of Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord.

Ajax boss Edwin van der Sar said: “We are convinced that this is the right solution. John is on a clear and steady path that has resulted in him evolving very well over the years.

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“Gerry Hamstra, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and I have had several conversations and we’ve obviously had a few with John. We are convinced of John’s qualities and his vision.

“When looking for additions to the technical staff, we unanimously agreed on Dwight Lodeweges. His knowledge and extensive coaching experience complement John and the rest of the staff.

“The team has to win now, work on their confidence and develop further. We still have a lot to fight for this season.”

Heitinga had a successful footballing career during which he won two Eredivisie titles with Ajax.

The former centre-back was also part of the Netherlands squad that made it to the 2010 World Cup final.

The Dutchman spent five years at Everton after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2009.

The interim boss also played for Fulham in 2014 until he switched to Hertha BSC a few months later.

Heitinga ended his career at Ajax in 2016 and shortly afterwards took over as youth coach.