Ruud van Nistelrooy has already decided next move amid talk of shock U-turn
Ruud van Nistelrooy has put himself in the shop window following four matches as interim manager of Manchester United and recently explained his plans for the future
by Felix Keith · The MirrorRuud van Nistelrooy is dead set on landing a managerial role after being ejected from Manchester United following Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
Amorim decided not to keep Van Nistelrooy on his coaching staff after the Dutchman oversaw four matches as interim boss. He has brought his trusted coaches with him from Sporting and didn’t envisage a role for Van Nistelrooy, who was hired by Erik ten Hag in the summer to bolster his staff.
Van Nistelrooy won three and drew one of his four games in charge and made a positive impression on the players and fans. Amorim’s decision to cut him loose drew criticism from ex-players Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves, who felt he had lots to offer the club as a legendary ex-striker.
He will receive a pay-out, having been dismissed just five months into a two-year contract, but a taste of the hotseat has only convinced Van Nistelrooy further that his future lies in management. Speaking last week, before his final match against Leicester on Sunday, he hinted that he only chose to work as an assistant because it was United.
“Of course,” he replied when asked if he’d like to be United manager in the future. “I thought this through well when I made the decision to come to Manchester United as an assistant manager or assistant coach.
“I thought that through and I knew that coming to Manchester United was for me a special occasion where I felt I wanted to be part of this journey with the club in also an assistant role. I had clear ambitions to manage, I made the decision to sign a two-year deal as an assistant and I’m still in that frame of mind to be fair, to stay in that capacity.”
Van Nistelrooy has put himself in the shop window at United over the past few weeks and could be offered a route into management. He held talks with Burnley over their managerial position in June and could be in contention for the role, should Scott Parker be dismissed.
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The 48-year-old, who previously took charge of PSV Eindhoven, had held two meetings with chairman Alan Pace after Burnley were relegated to the Championship but decided to join Ten Hag at Old Trafford instead. Parker took the job and started well, but the club has stalled recently, managing just one victory in their last five while scoring just twice, leaving them fourth in the table.
He reportedly still has admirers at Burnley, who could act if form doesn’t pick up under Parker. The testimonials of United players could help Van Nistelrooy’s case.
Captain Bruno Fernandes spoke glowingly of Van Nistelrooy after the second win over Leicester. "He brought everyone with a smile to the games, he just wanted us to enjoy it,” he said. “We wanted to say goodbye as a manager for him properly because he did good things for us.”
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