Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag and temporarily replaced him with his assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Van Nistelrooy is adored by United fans from his five-year spell as a prolific striker at the club, but lacks experience having only managed at senior level for one season.
It seems a risk, but those who know the 48-year-old former Netherlands international say he is “driven”, “strong-willed” and “obsessed with perfection”. He also absolutely loves Manchester United.
United bought the Dutchman for £19m from PSV Eindhoven in 2001 and he scored 150 times in 219 games before he was sold to Real Madrid in 2006.
As a coach, Van Nistelrooy has retained his obsession with perfection.
The Dutchman became a coach in the PSV academy after retiring as a player at Malaga in 2013 and was promoted to first-team manager in 2022.
When he resigned in 2023, after winning the Dutch Cup and finishing second in the Eredivisie in his only season in charge, he had no shortage of offers.
“His style of play was very realistic, not naive,” said Van der Kraan. “I won’t say it was super attacking. But there was venom in the side.
“To sum him up as a coach, he probably got more joy out of improving players than of winning trophies.
“Ex-PSV youth star Xavi Simons, now on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris St-Germain, said Van Nistelrooy taught him ‘everything’.”
Although Van Nistelrooy won two trophies and secured Champions League qualification in his debut season, he resigned with one game left of the campaign.
“There was a breaking-down in the relationship between him and the assistants,” said Van der Kraan. “He stuck to his principles.”
De Telegraaf claimed at the time that six players had reported their dissatisfaction with Van Nistelrooy to the PSV board.
