Ruud Van Nistelrooy may have chosen to be Leicester City’s manager for the foreseeable future but the offers he got from clubs after his stint as Manchester United’s interim boss still surprises him.
He revealed this in a chat with the media after taking up the role that was vacated by Steve Cooper after 157 days.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker has had a good start to his managerial career since taking to the dugout in 20221 as the manager of Jong PSV Eindhoven, the under-19 team of PSV Eindhoven. He performed well enough to bag the role of the first team manager a year later, only to give it up to take up a role as Erik ten Hag’s assistant at Manchester United at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, whose first team he has ambitions of someday managing.
The setup did not work with ten Hag at the helm and after serving in an interim capacity after ten Hag’s sack, the 48-year-old is now going to lead the Foxes at the King Power Stadium.
He was announced on Friday and just before his first training session, he spoke to the media and had to express his surprise at the positive reception his work had gotten just before he accepted the Leicester job.
“What happened after the games and the amount of interest, the options that all of a sudden was there for me and the options that came along, I was a little bit astonished,” he said. “It was four games and I managed a full season at PSV, was able to win the cup and the charity shield, I have been in coaching, in the (under-)19s and the national team (with the Netherlands) and it never got this reaction from the football world.
“It provoked these reactions and I was only happy with that. And to get in conversations with different parties and be able to make a decision which felt really good for me and I am happy to be here.
“It was a good period, short and intense, but I was happy to help get the club back, steady the ship I called it, for the four games. Now they are on a run of good results on top of those four games, so that is great to see.
“I really enjoyed it, being responsible, creating a connection with the team, with the supporters and turning the momentum for the club for a little bit.
“That is our job and that felt great to do and it just got better now I am in this position to do it again.”
