MARCO VAN BASTEN STEPS DOWN AS COACH OF AZ ALKMAAR

AC Milan legend Marco van Basten has stepped down as AZ Alkmaar coach but will continue at the club as assistant to a new coach.

Marco van Basten steps down as coach of AZ Alkmaar

Van Basten said that being a head coach "is more and more often causing me physical and mental problems", and that he wants to work out of the limelight.

"I've noticed in the past few years that being a head coach causes me mental and physical problems," the ex-Netherlands coach stated.

"That's why I have made the decision to be honest to myself and the club. I wanted to return to AZ, but not as a head coach. I am happy with my new role behind the scenes."

Club director Earnest Stewart says 49-year-old Van Basten will concentrate on developing young talent at the club, which is 12th in the 18-team Dutch top flight.

AZ initially denied that Van Basten would step down and they released a statement on Monday saying that he would return to the dugout on Tuesday.

However, they have now made it clear he will be forced to operate in a supportive role.

"It has become clear in the past few days that Marco prefers a role in the background. We had to process his announcement, but we did whatever we could to keep him at the club. We think he fits here well as an assistant, too," sporting director Earnest Stewart commented on the move.

Van Basten joined AZ at the start of the 2014-15 campaign, but the pressure of working as a head coach caused him too much problems in recent years.

Van Basten started his coaching career at Jong Ajax and also took charge of Netherlands, Ajax and Heerenveen before joining AZ.

The 49-year-old wore the jerseys of Ajax and Milan during his active career, while also making 58 appearances for Netherlands.