Marco van Basten is stepping down as head coach at Alkmaar Eredivisie football club AZ, after weeks of uncertainty about his position.

In a statement, Van Basten says he is relieved to be taking a step back. ‘In the end, the stress I experienced as head coach was more than I would have wished for,’ he said, adding that he may never take a head coaching role again.

‘The stress got to me physically three weeks ago,’ he said. ‘It has happened before several times. I had thought I would be able to get used to it or would be better able to deal with it.’

Alex Pastoor is taking over the role.

Van Basten, who is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, has also coached Ajax and the national Dutch team.