Guus Hiddink resigns as Netherlands national team coach
Guus Hiddink has resigned from his position as head coach of the Netherlands national team, the Dutch FA announced Monday.
Hiddink, 68, took over the team following last summer's World Cup, replacing Louis van Gaal after he was hired as Manchester United's manager. It was Hiddink's second stint as the team's coach.
The Netherlands won just four of Hiddink's 10 games in charge of the team, including a second-half collapse against the United States earlier this month.
“I am sorry that it went this way,” Hiddink said in a statement. “I thought it was an honor to coach the Dutch national team again, and I wish my successor, the staff and the team every success on the way to the European Championships in France.”
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Hiddink had originally intended to coach the team through the 2016 European Championships, at which point he would be replaced by assistant Danny Blind. Blind's son Daley plays for Manchester United and the Dutch national team.
The Dutch are currently third in their Euro 2016 qualifying group, behind Iceland and the Czech Republic. The top two teams in each group and the top third-place team qualify for the tournament. The other eight third-place teams enter a playoff to determine the final four spots in the field.
The Netherlands resumes its qualification bid in September.
- Dan Gartland
