The Eredivisie’s bottom side Vitesse Arnhem have appointed Edward Sturing as interim coach for the sixth time following the departure of Philip Cocu.

The 60-year-old will take the reins until the winter break at the end of December, but has not ruled out a longer spell in charge.

“In these difficult times I want to help the club move forward,” said Sturing, who was head coach at Vitesse from 2003 to 2006 and took charge in between managers on five other occasions between 1999 and 2020.

“Admittedly it’s another interim spell, but technical director Benjamin Schmedes and I have a good understanding. The interests of the club come first. It’s up to me to turn the tide in the upcoming games.”

Vitesse reached the last 16 of the UEFA Conference League in the 2021/22 season, but their results have gone downhill since their former Russian owner Valerij Oyf sold his shares in March 2022, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine.

Cocu quit last weekend immediately after Vitesse’s home defeat to Heerenveen, which left the club bottom of the league with just two wins and eight points from their 12 matches this season.