Louis van Gaal has returned to his former club Ajax as an external advisor despite battling prostate cancer.

Ajax, who are suffering their worst start to a league season since the 1964-65 campaign, were forced to complete their match against Feyenoord behind closed doors after fans reacted violently to their side going 3-0 down to their rivals.

Violent clashes ensued between home fans and mounted riot police, resulting in the use of tear gas, while certain supporters broke through stadium glass doors, forcing players and officials to seek refuge in their dressing rooms for safety.

The 72-year-old has taken on an advisory role with the Amsterdam-based side, who are currently in 15th place in the Eredivisie and have won one match in the league this season.

Despite speculation, Van Gaal has dismissed any thoughts of returning to a management role due to his ongoing health issues but did confirm that he is willing to offer his football knowledge to the supervisory board as an external advisor to try and help Ajax out of their difficult situation.

Ajax have also been experiencing issues off the pitch, as a few hours after the violent scenes at the Johan Cruyff Arena, the club took the decision to sack their director of football Sven Mislintat, with immediate effect.

Van Gaal has been out of work since leaving his role as the Netherlands national team manager after being diagnosed with prostate cancer last April.

The ex-Manchester United boss won three Eredivisie league titles as well as the Champions League during his six-year reign as manager of Ajax between 1991 and 1997.