Confirmed: Jurgen Klopp's right-hand man to coach Nigerian trio at Red Bull Salzburg 

With a statement on their official website, Austrian Bundesliga giants Red Bull Salzburg have announced the appointment of Pepijn Lijnders as the new coach of the club, with effect from the start of the 2024-2025 season.

The 41-year-old from the Netherlands has been assistant coach to Jürgen Klopp at Premier League side Liverpool for several years, and was in the Reds dugout during their 2018-2019 UEFA Champions League win and 2019-2020 Premier League title-winning campaign.

Lijnders will be departing Liverpool alongside his boss Klopp after Liverpool's final match of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. 

Red Bulll Salzburg, who have won the Austrian title seventeen times and Cup on nine occasions, have confirmed that the Dutchman has put pen to paper on a three-year contract. 

In the upcoming season, Pepijn Lijnders will be working with at least three players of Nigerian descent at Red Bull Salzburg if they don't depart the club in the summer transfer window.

Nigeria international Samson Tijani and Switzerland U21 international Bryan Okoh are under contract with the Red Bull club until  the end of the 2024-2025 season, while Austria youth international Justin Omoregie, who plays for Red Bull Salzburg's reserve team, FC Liefering, has been invited to train with the first team on countless occasions. 

Former Golden Eaglets captain Tijani is credited with five appearances for Salzburg's first team, while Okoh has played in two matches and scored one goal.

Pepijn Lijnders has coached 2013 Golden Eaglets invitee Ovie Ejaria and Lagos-born winger Arnaut Danjuma in the past.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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