The new Leicester City Football Club boss, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has revealed his disappointment after leaving Manchester United.
The former Dutch and Man United striker said, “It hurts I had to leave” the club of his choice while he was being interviewed by BBC Sport.
Van Nistelrooy’s departure came after a four-game spell as interim manager at Old Trafford, following the sacking of fellow Dutch international Erik Ten Hag. He was brought in by Ten Hag as an assistant manager in July 2024 and oversaw three comfortable wins and one draw during his four-game stint in charge at United.
“The moment I took over the interim job, what I said was, I’m here to help United and to stay to help United, and I meant it. So I was disappointed, very much so, and it hurt I had to leave,” he said.
He also revealed that he had a lengthy, healthy conversation with the new Man United Head Coach, Ruben Amorim, before making a final decision. Van Nistelrooy added that the conversation helped him to critically look at the offers and possibilities available and was “astonished” by the amount of interest in him after his brief spell as United boss.
“I spoke to Ruben about it; fair enough to him, the conversation was grateful, man to man, person to person, manager to manager. That helped me a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks with new possibilities, which of course lifted my spirits,” he said.
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After his departure, Leicester City moved quickly to bring in the 48-year-old at the King Power Stadium as a new manager after sacking Cooper on November 24, 2024, and signed a deal until 2027.
Van Nistelrooy, who has played under managerial greats like Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello, as well as working with Guus Hiddink with the Netherlands, is believed to have acquired some of their traits and is expected to become one of the world’s best managers.
Van Nistelrooy’s first test is at Leicester City after inheriting a struggling squad sitting one point above the relegation zone and in desperate need of momentum after five defeats in their past eight games.
