Van Nistelrooy could secure instant Prem job after Man Utd exit with THREE clubs keen (original) (raw)
Ruud van Nistelrooy is a free agent after leaving Manchester United following an interim stint as manager and three Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in him.
The legendary Dutch striker took the helm at Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag was sacked and led the Red Devils to three victories and one draw.
The arrival of Man Utd’s new boss Ruben Amorim led to Van Nistelrooy’s exit, with the Portuguese coach opting to bring his own staff with him from former club Sporting CP.
According to Fichajes, Leicester City, Wolves and Crystal Palace are all interested in appointing Van Nistelrooy as their new manager, if they decide to sack their respective bosses.
Leicester’s Steve Cooper has received heavy criticism in recent weeks after the Foxes have picked up 10 points from 11 games, leaving them three points outside the bottom three.
Wolves and Palace find themselves 19th and 18th in the table, which comes as a shock after they finished the 2023/24 campaign. As a result, Gary O’Neil and Oliver Glasner are among the bookies’ favourites to be the next Prem manager to lose their job.
The three clubs are said to be ‘weighing up swoops’ for Van Nistelrooy in the coming weeks after being impressed by his brief stint in charge of Man Utd.
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Van Nistelrooy has limited experience in management, starting his coaching career in the youth systems of PSV Eindhoven in 2018.
Following the exit of German Roger Schmidt in 2022, the Dutchman was promoted to the role of senior manager at the Eredivisie giants for the 2022-23 season.
PSV lost out on the Dutch title to Feyenoord by seven points that campaign, although Van Nistelrooy’s troops lifted the KNVB Cup.
He then joined Man Utd as Ten Hag’s assistant in July, before becoming interim boss in October. He has since been linked with the Coventry City job following the sacking of Mark Robins, but Frank Lampard now looks set to take charge of the Sky Blues.
Van Nistelrooy revealed in an interview this month that he would like to become Man Utd’s permanent manager one day, but to do so he needs more managerial experience and taking a job at Leicester, Wolves or Palace would be a step in the right direction.
If one of the Premier League trio sack their manager in the coming weeks, he will reportedly be a candidate to watch out for.
Man Utd round-up: Osimhen swap deal / Casemiro exit latest
Meanwhile, Man Utd are considering a move for a new striker after Joshua Zirkzee has failed to make any real impact since his move from Bologna in the summer.
Surprise reports suggest that Man Utd are ‘offering’ €30m plus Joshua Zirkzee in an attempt to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who was heavily linked with Chelsea.
Osimhen was exiled from Napoli’s squad by Antonio Conte after he tried to force a summer exit and was sent out on loan to Galatasaray for this season.
The loan agreement contains a break clause, which means he can be recalled and sold by Napoli in the January transfer window.
His Napoli contract also contains a key agreement – a €75m release clause – though the report claims interested clubs are thus far unwilling to trigger it.
Instead, it’s stated Man Utd are ‘offering’ €30m plus Zirkzee – labelled a ‘dud’ – in a ‘sensational’ cash-plus-player swap.
In other news, the Red Devils board are trying to find a buyer for aging midfielder Casemiro in January, with Amorim reportedly happy to sell the former Real Madrid man.
Casemiro has interest from the Saudi Pro League and it’s claimed that Man Utd will make him available for £30m in January – £40m less than what they signed him for two years ago.