Ajax boss Ronald Koeman has played down reports linking him with the manager’s job at Barcelona.
With current coach Frank Rijkaard under immense pressure at the Nou Camp following a string of disappointing results, speculation about Koeman returning to the club with whom he enjoyed great success as a player in the 1990’s, is rife.
However, Koeman insists he has no plans to leave Ajax.
“For the moment I hope and want the best for Barca, but I am not constantly thinking about being Barcelona manager because I am very happy at Ajax,” he told Sport.
“Things are going very well here and we are talking about a contract extention.
“Given everything that has happened it is not normal that I would still be thinking about Barca.
“They have chosen a different manager and now I see myself a lot further away than a few months ago.
“The train for Barcelona has passed me by, at least for the moment.”
“Barca have spent a few years like that, (without winning trophies), and so it’s normal that they are an inconsistent team,” he added.
“With a change of president and manager you need time for things to start working.
“It’s not right to start drawing any conclusions so soon, but the team has problems and you can see that in the results.
“I always believe that when you change things you must have patience and confidence.
“You can ask those inside the club for time and say you are working hard, but the reality is that the fans want to see results, which is the important thing in football, because they have spent a lot of time behind Madrid.”
