From Queen’s Park FC to replacing Robin van Persie at Heerenveen: Robin Veldman set to return to Eredivisie side as head coach | OneFootball

VI, and others, are reporting that Robin Veldman is set to take over at SC Heerenveen. The Dutchman is currently working with Club Brugge’s second team Club NXT, but will leave that role to replace Robin van Persie after the former Manchester United and Arsenal striker moved to Feyenoord. The deal will see Veldman return to the Dutch club where he had been a youth coach before leaving to join Ajax in 2017.

This will be his second full time senior head coaching job. For a brief time in 2022 he was caretaker for Anderlecht, where he had worked as manager of the U21 side since joining from Ajax in 2021. He then supported Brian Riemer as head coach before departing for Scotland. Veldman only spent a few months managing Queens Park FC, where he averaged 0.9 points per game in 21 games. For the 2024/2025 season he returned to Belgium to manage the Club Brugge development squad, Club NXT, who currently play in the Belgian second tier. He has been successful with the side this season as they are the only youth team in the league not languishing near the bottom of the table.

Veldman will take over at a Heerenveen side that sit 10th in the Eredivisie, just one point outside of the top eight. However, they are also 13 points behind Go Ahead Eagles who are in seventh. The battle for that final play-off spot looks set to be between Sittard, Heerenveen, Groningen, NEC Nijmeen, NAC Breda and Heracles.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson