Van Hooijdonk rejoins Feyenoord

Pinch hitter
Van Hooijdonk, 36, is the missing attacking link that Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman had been looking for during the transfer window. "I have had the role of super sub with the national team in the past, and it suits me," said the former Dutch international. "I am looking forward to it."

Short stay at NAC
The 36-year-old had a clause in his NAC contract saying he could leave for free if one of the big Dutch clubs came in for him. Van Hooijdonk scored five goals in 17 Eredivisie games for NAC following his summer switch from Fenerbahçe SK, although it is thought NAC coach Cees Lok was not entirely unhappy to see him move on.

UEFA Cup triumph
He originally left Feyenoord for the Turkish side in 2003, with a record of 52 goals in 61 league appearances plus a UEFA Cup winner's medal from the memorable final victory against BV Borussia Dortmund at De Kuip which featured two Van Hooijdonk strikes – one a trademark free-kick, the other a penalty. The other clubs of the forward's much-travelled career are RBC Roosendaal, Celtic FC, Nottingham Forest FC, BV Vitesse and SL Benfica.

Lodewijks plays on
Feyenoord, who lie second in the title race, three points behind PSV Eindhoven, had earlier agreed a new deal with Patrick Lodewijks to keep the 38-year-old goalkeeper on the books until summer 2007.