Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 9:50 PM• Jonathan van Haaster • Last update: 22:10

Alfred Schreuder will definitely not be Club Brugge’s new trainer. The Belgian top club announces through the official channels that Rik De Mil will complete the season as head coach. After Scott Parker’s firing in early March, Schreuder appeared to be the number one candidate. However, the negotiations between the parties came to naught, because the coach unsuccessfully pursued a multi-year contract. De Mil coached the U21 team for two seasons Blue-Black and has been part of the first-team staff since 2022.

Bruges was linked to Benfica in the eighth final of the Champions League. After the 0-2 defeat at the Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges lost no less than 5-1 in Lisbon. After that game, it was announced that Parker got his congé. Schreuder was immediately bombarded as a top candidate, but a day later the chance of cooperation between the two parties was already much smaller. Schreuder is said to have indicated that he wanted a multi-year contract, while the club management of Bruges did not want to go beyond a commitment for an indefinite period.

De Mil was already responsible for Bruges during the home game against Standard Luik on Sunday. Belgian media reported before the game that there was a chance that he would take over until the end of the season, so that the club management can take ample time to find a suitable successor for the next season. Nicky Hayen (head coach U21 team), Steve Colpaert (assistant trainer U21 team) and Wouter Biebauw (goalkeeper coach U21 team) move on and will assist De Mil.

General manager Vincent Mannaert, who was linked to a transfer to Ajax in January, is happy with De Mil’s appointment. “Rik knows the club and the team through and through. His passion and ambition provide a breath of fresh air with which we, together with the players and everyone from the sporting branch, want to get the most out of the season. Thanks to the promotion of Nicky, Steve and Wouter from Club NXT (the promising team, ed.) we can call on a balanced staff that also gives young talents the opportunity to develop further.” Bruges is only fourth in the Jupiler Pro League, eighteen points behind leader KRC Genk.