Coach Van Bronckhorst to leave Feyenoord at end of the season

Van Bronckhorst, who two years ago led the Rotterdam outfit to their first championship in 18 years, has told the Eredivisie side he is seeking other challenges.

The contract of the 43-year-old is already due to expire at the end of the season.

"I have given a lot of thought to whether I want to stay on as coach of Feyenoord for another year or many more years. But I have always followed my gut instinct in my career and I feel I should not carry on," Van Bronckhorst said in a statement on the club's website http://www.feyenoord.nl.

"It was a very tough decision because Feyenoord are in my heart."

Van Bronckhorst had two spells as a player for the club, retiring in 2010. The former Dutch international also played at Arsenal and Barcelona.

In 2011 he became then manager Ronald Koeman's assistant at Feyenoord and then coach of the reserve team. In 2015, he replaced Fred Rutten as head coach.

As well as the league title in 2017, Feyenoord won two Dutch Cup trophies under Van Bronckhorst.

They took a step closer to making it three on Wednesday after beating Fortuna Sittard 4-1 to advance to this season's semi-finals. However, in the league they trail leaders PSV Eindhoven by 13 points. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Christian Radnedge)