Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted he was left ‘hurt’ and ‘disappointed’ after being shown the door by Manchester United last month.
Van Nistelrooy, one of the best strikers in United’s history, had taken over as interim manager following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, but new boss Ruben Amorim decided he would not be part of his coaching plans.
On the day he was unveiled as the new manager of Premier League strugglers Leicester, Van Nistelrooy revealed he had held talks with Amorim and hinted he had been sacked because his presence might have caused problems for the Portuguese boss in the future .
‘When I took over the interim job I said I’m here to help United and to keep helping United, and I meant it. So I was very disappointed and it hurt that I had to leave,” he said.
‘The only job I would have taken as an assistant manager was at United because of the bond I have with the people at the club and the fans.
‘In the end I thought about it because I also understand the new manager. I am a manager myself. You can think of a situation where I’m there… I understand.
Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted he was ‘hurt’ when Ruben Amorim decided he wasn’t in his plans
Before becoming interim manager, he was Erik ten Hag’s assistant at Man United
Amorim brought in his own staff after leaving Sporting Lisbon to replace Ten Hag at Old Trafford
‘I talked to Ruben about it, fair enough to him. I was grateful for the conversation: man to man, person to person, manager to manager. That helped me enormously to move forward and to immediately start discussing new possibilities, which of course gave me a good feeling.’
Having worked for Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Robson and Fabio Capello, and as a player and coach at Old Trafford, Van Nistelrooy knows what leadership looks like and will have to draw on those experiences to take control of a restless Dressing room. . And like a new teacher encountering a challenging class, the 48-year-old wasted no time in letting his Leicester players know exactly who’s boss.
As has often been the case with Leicester, this is a powerful, idiosyncratic side. So while Van Nistelrooy was happy to talk about his introductory banter with club talisman Jamie Vardy, the way he described his first meeting with the first-team squad felt significant.
When asked how important it is that players respect the position of the man in the dugout, Van Nistelrooy answers: ‘That is the only way you can work. It’s about mutual respect. I also told the players that I was looking at the squad and started calling about players, because in football everyone knows everyone.
‘With two or three phone calls you hear stories about twenty players and for me it was important that you heard that there were good characters among them. I watch the players how they play. Obviously I don’t know them yet, but I’ve gotten some general information about the individuals, that they’re a nice bunch of people.’
In other words, a memo to some of the more outspoken characters on this team: I’ve got my eye on you. With the survival of the Premier League at stake, Van Nistelrooy must figure out who he can trust and it’s clear he’s already done his homework.
The problem for Van Nistelrooy is this: not only does he have to keep a close eye on his squad, he also has to manage his relationship with the club’s hierarchy effectively.
Under the Srivaddhanaprabha family, Leicester have won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Community Shield, finished fifth in the top flight twice, reached a Champions League quarter-final and a Europa Conference League semi-final.
Van Nistelrooy respects the decision Amorim made and his autonomy as a coach – and it ended with his move to Leicester City
Yet faded glory does not give you a free pass forever. The club’s management has been poor in recent seasons and the fans are dissatisfied. Now both executives and players must be on their toes to help Van Nistelrooy succeed.
Fans targeted football director Jon Rudkin with chants at Brentford this weekend and the January transfer window will be an early indication of how things are developing behind the scenes.
“I see the leadership qualities in the team as successful, but there needs to be direction, and that is my responsibility,” said Van Nistelrooy. ‘I need to know who the leaders are.
‘I have to talk to them about leadership and how it works. I needed the best managers to guide me through the stages of my career. I was lucky to have managers like that who helped me lead in a certain way.”