JOHN van't Schip will make a shock return to Melbourne Heart as its technical manager little more than a year after quitting as coach.

The Dutchman will play a crucial role in the establishment of a Johan Cruyff football academy in tandem with the A-League club.

Heart chief executive Scott Munn said van't Schip's appointment was not a slight on coach John Aloisi, but his arrival would bolster the football department after a ninth-place finish that was "not acceptable".

In an interview with the Herald Sun, Munn said:

THE Cruyff academy, a junior talent pathway program in place at Barcelona and Ajax, was set to launch in Melbourne at the start of next year.

HEART was not for sale after knocking back a "large" takeover bid from former National Soccer League club South Melbourne.

THE club's focus was to improve results on the field rather than turn a profit off it.

RECRUITING a striker was a priority, but the club wouldn't necessarily fill the two spots open on its roster.

Van't Schip resigned in March last year after two seasons in charge at Heart, taking over at Mexican club Guadalajara for a stint that lasted a year.

Munn said Aloisi would not report to van't Schip, who would be in Melbourne for five months of the seven-month season.

"He won't be running sessions for the players or anything like that," he said.

"It's more to do with making sure we're integrating the youth team in to the seniors and then also providing necessary support on game day for the coaching panel.

"At the end of the year we went through all of the things we had as an organisation and did an absolute review, particularly around the football department.

"There were some key areas we wanted to improve and work on and one was the support around the coaching department - not necessarily just JA (Aloisi), but the entire department."

Heart last week knocked back a reported $7 million offer from South Melbourne for its A-League licence, the third time the Victorian Premier League club has made such a play.

Munn said South had said it would not make another approach. "We're not for sale. We never have been," he said.

"South Melbourne approached us on two different occasions (previously) and on two different occasions we explained to them that what they're looking to do isn't in line with what we want to do.

"They've actually now written to us and told us they won't approach us again. I think it will go away now."

The Cruyff academy at Barcelona has helped develop some of the world's best players, including Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.

Munn said the academy was expected to open to year 11 and 12 students, before expanding to years 7-10.



Originally published as Schip sails back into port