Van Nistelrooy set to replace Steve Cooper as Leicester boss after Man Utd boot
Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be named the next Leicester City manager following the dismissal of Steve Cooper.
The Foxes are currently 16th in the Premier League with Cooper winning ten points from his ten games in charge at the King Power Stadium.
Cooper was appointed in the summer after Enzo Maresca – who led Leicester to the Championship title last season – was poached by Chelsea.
Van Nistelrooy is available having been let go by Manchester United following the arrival of Ruben Amorim, after the United legend had stepped up from his assistant coaching role under Erik ten Hag to take interim charge.
The Dutchman joined Ten Hag’s team in the summer having impressed as manager of PSV Eindhoven and was unbeaten in his four games at the Old Trafford helm following Ten Hag’s sacking, including two wins over Leicester in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
His stock rose as a result of that spell, to the point where Leicester have decided to make Van Nistelrooy their next manager, according to The Telegraph.
The report claims Van Nistelrooy has held ‘extensive talks’ with the Foxes and is set to be confirmed as Cooper’s successor, and may even be appointed in time to take charge for their game against Brentford this weekend.
READ MORE: Five PL moves for Ruud van Nistelrooy post-Man Utd include replacing Ange Postecoglou at Spurs
United legend Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for the job Van Nistelrooy did in his short time at the club, claiming the players “had grown to really like” him.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “His audition couldn’t have gone any better.
“I think, knowing him, there was a steely determination underneath that said, ‘I’m going to put myself in the best position, either to stay at the club in some capacity or someone else is going to say we need you as a manager’.
“He looked the part and he produced. The players needed that. We’re in a time where there was a lot of turbulence, the manager’s relationships with some players seemed fractured and irreversible and the fans seemed to have made their minds up that that was it.
“And the new manager comes in – and you always get that bounce – but this seemed a bit different from a bounce. The players had grown to really like him, they appreciated how he informed them of different bits and pieces – tactically, individually, as a team – and there was a genuine ‘we want to do well for this guy’.”
