I won two Premier League titles with Man Utd – Ruben Amorim has made his first big mistake

Louis Saha is concerned that new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has already made his first error by allowing Ruud van Nistelrooy to leave the club.

Van Nistelrooy temporarily took over at United following Erik ten Hag's dismissal, winning three of four games. The Dutch coach, who returned to Old Trafford as an assistant last summer, had indicated his willingness to work under Amorim, but his exit was confirmed on Monday alongside other members of the backroom staff. The new United boss is set to work with several coaches from his time at Sporting.

Upon being announced as Ten Hag's successor at United, Amorim and his staff masterminded Sporting's 4-1 triumph over Manchester City in the Champions League and left Sporting leading the Primeira Liga. The appointment of a new manager inevitably led to changes. Yet, ex-United striker Saha feels that Amorim has missed a trick by not relying on Van Nistelrooy at the start of his reign.

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Before Van Nistelrooy's exit was finalised, Saha issued a warning to Amorim. "Letting Ruud van Nistelrooy leave the club would be Ruben Amorim's first mistake," Saha told BoyleSports, who provide the latest Premier League odds.

"Amorim would miss out on having that understanding of the club to hand as well as the information regarding what has changed in the last four games. That information is crucial to taking the club forward with the players now feeling comfortable again.

"It would be a big shame for Van Nistelrooy to leave and I do understand that the new manager is going to want to bring his own staff in, but having him there will help to get the best out of the players."

Saha, who won two Premier League titles in his four-year stint at Old Trafford, played alongside Van Nistelrooy for two-and-a-half seasons. The former France striker is right about the bond that Van Nistelrooy seemed to have with the United team despite only being at the club for a short time. However, doubts about the decision will soon disappear if United can continue building on their new-found momentum under Amorim.

Meanwhile, Van Nistelrooy could return to management after making a positive start to life as a head coach. The United hero spent a season in charge of PSV Eindhoven and won the KNVB Cup before stepping down in 2023 due to a lack of support.

Van Nistelrooy was also one of the coaches in the race for the Burnley job before choosing to join Ten Hag's coaching staff at Old Trafford. Bookmakers have since listed him as an option to become Mark Robins' successor at Coventry City.