Coach Henk de Jong hopes for comeback next season after successful surgery

Henk de Jong hopes to resume work as a coach in September. The 58-year-old coach had to resign from his duties at SC Cambuur last season because a cyst had to be surgically removed from his head.

Over the past few months, De Jong has been recovering from that major surgery. “I’m just normal again,” he now says in a podcast by Omroep Friesland.

De Jong will use the coming period to further recover, although he would prefer to return to work already. “The other day I was at the doctor’s office for a checkup and I said I wanted to be ‘loose’ again. He said, ‘Henk, that’s not allowed. Build up now first, because you can’t quit again.'”

Speaking with Omroep Friesland, De Jong also discusses his contract situation at SC Cambuur:

The coach took the doctor’s advice to heart. “If I start again, I have to go on. I can’t make it towards the club where I’ll be trainer then to stop again. And also not towards myself and my family. I don’t want to be rejected, I want to work again.”

Because of the cyst, the trainer was considerably drained. “I couldn’t do anything anymore. Before the surgery, I slept 20 out of 24 hours in a day. I had no life left because I couldn’t tolerate any stimuli,” De Jong says.

The surgery was not without risk. “You can also die. It’s very strange what I’m saying, but I thought, don’t worry, I have to surrender and believe in the doctors. And then I’ll see.”

The surgery, which took place in March, was successful. Meanwhile, De Jong is feeling well again. He is working on his recovery on a schedule and should be able to return to work full-time in September.

Gone are the days when he spent 20 hours a day in bed. “I get up at quarter to six in the morning, and when I go to sleep at ten at night, I feel the same. I don’t sleep during the day anymore.”

Henk de Jong spoke to NOS Studio Sport in December (before his surgery):

While De Jong was absent, Cambuur appointed a new head coach with Sjors Ultee. Under his leadership, the club relegated from the premier league. Ultee’s contract runs for another year.

De Jong is also fixed for another year in Leeuwarden. He unilaterally extended an option in his contract for an additional season. As a result, Cambuur is now in the curious situation of having two head coaches under contract.

De Jong is by far the more popular of the two with the supporters. He made Cambuur champion of the first division twice, in 2013 and 2021. Ultee is much less popular, partly because of last season’s relegation.

After some urging, De Jong is willing to say something about the situation. “I don’t want to sit in Ultee’s place or apply, or whatever. Ultee is trainer of Cambuur and just has a contract. I was sick and would never come back,” he says.

But now that De Jong is almost fully recovered, the situation is changing. “Let 100 percent be clear that I always want to cooperate, but I completely understand Ultee if he sees me as a threat. Then I’ll just go do other things. I don’t want to sit in someone else’s place.”

In that case, De Jong will look out for another club. “Then my salary will be released and Cambuur can do other things with it. I understand that too. I’m not being difficult about that.”