Ruud van Nistelrooy Expected to Become Leicester Manager

Ruud van Nistelrooy, a former striker for Manchester United and Real Madrid, is expected to be named the new manager of Leicester City. The 48-year-old Dutch national is poised to take over from Steve Cooper, who was dismissed after only 157 days at the helm, following a 2-1 Premier League loss to Chelsea on Saturday. This appointment for Van Nistelrooy follows his departure from his interim head coach position at Manchester United two weeks prior, which occurred after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal. During his tenure at United, he recorded three victories and one draw, but left after being informed he would not be included in new manager Ruben Amorim’s coaching staff. Notably, two of Van Nistelrooy’s wins came against Leicester: a 5-2 victory in the Carabao Cup last 16 and a 3-0 success in the Premier League earlier in the current month. The ex-Manchester United and Netherlands international striker will join the Foxes as they currently sit 16th in the Premier League after 12 matches, merely one point clear of the relegation places. Cooper had been brought in this summer to succeed Enzo Maresca, who moved to Chelsea, but managed to secure only two Premier League victories. Van Nistelrooy’s sole prior full-time managerial position with a senior team was a season leading PSV in 2022-23, during which he claimed the Dutch Cup, before becoming an assistant coach at United in July. Leicester’s upcoming fixture is an away match against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, and while it remains uncertain if Van Nistelrooy will be present in the dugout, the short timeframe before the weekend suggests he is unlikely to manage the team. Ben Dawson, Leicester’s caretaker manager and a member of Cooper’s former backroom staff, is still expected to lead the squad. Van Nistelrooy will need to gain the support of a dressing room that reportedly found it difficult to fully embrace Cooper’s strategies during his tenure. While senior players, such as Jamie Vardy, did back the former Nottingham Forest manager, he reportedly did not secure the full commitment of the entire squad.