Dutch club Ajax have announced the dismissal of their manager Maurice Steijn following the 4-3 league defeat to Utrecht over the weekend which left the club without a win in the last eight matches, five of those being losses.

“Ajax and Maurice Steijn will part ways with immediate effect. The club management and Steijn have agreed that the coach will step down from his position,” the club said in a statement on Monday.

Steijn joined Ajax from Sparta Rotterdam in June on a three-year contract but a series of bad results on the pitch, which has left the club 17th on the league table with only five points from seven matches, has ultimately led to his early departure.

In his farewell statement, Steijn said: “This morning, I sat down with the board, and we continued our talks later this afternoon. We came to the conclusion that this is what is best for Ajax, although I regret that.”

He added: “Everyone who knows me knows I have done everything to take Ajax back to the place where this club belongs. But I failed to do so. I want to thank the supporters and the people I have worked with here, and I hope Ajax will find its way up again soon.”

Meanwhile, Ajax’s former player, Hedwiges Maduro, will take charge as the caretaker manager until a permanent replacement is announced. He was an assistant coach at the prior to his new appointment.