 After his recovery, Vlaar regained his place in the first team and played 20 Eredivisie matches in the remaining season.On 16 December 2006, Vlaar scored his first Feyenoord goal in the away match against FC Utrecht (2–1).With the arrival of the new Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk and new centre back partner Kevin Hofland in the 2007–08 season, Vlaar was ready to make the next step in his development.