Feyenoord’s temporary manager acknowledges he is completely unfamiliar with the team before facing AC Milan.

Feyenoord’s newly appointed interim coach Pascal Bosschaart, aged 44, faces a race against time to prepare for the Champions League encounter against AC Milan on Wednesday. He was thrust into the role on Monday after the dismissal of Brian Priske.

“It’s been quite a whirlwind,” Bosschaart remarked during the press conference held ahead of the first leg of the playoff round in Rotterdam.

“I was in the midst of preparing training for the Feyenoord under-21s on Monday evening when I received a last-minute call to come to the stadium. Everything took off from there, and I had to adapt rapidly.”

With just one training session under his belt before the match at De Kuip, he plans to stick with the strategies laid out by Priske prior to his departure.

“The groundwork had already been laid, so I took the time to explore areas where we could make improvements and strategise accordingly. We will implement the existing plan. I don’t intend to overhaul everything at the last minute, as that might create more confusion, which is the last thing we need.”

Though he has been part of the Feyenoord coaching staff since the start of the season, Bosschaart had previously been working with the junior teams, without any first-team experience.

“I’m not intimately familiar with the squad, but I’ve found a group of players who are keen to learn. Training went well; there was a strong focus, and we had a bit of fun,” he added.

On top of the leadership shake-up, Feyenoord is grappling with a number of injuries. They will miss goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, defenders Jordan Lotomba, Bart Nieuwkoop, and Gernot Trauner, as well as midfielders Ramiz Zerrouki and Chris-Kevin Nadje. The fitness of midfielder Hwang In-beom and defender Facundo Gonzalez remains uncertain, Bosschaart noted.

Danish-born Priske, who took the reins for a three-year term in June last year after Arne Slot moved to Liverpool, had been feeling the pressure in recent weeks due to a string of disappointing results, which have left Feyenoord sitting fifth in the Dutch league standings.