Manchester United are ready to pull the trigger and fire Erik ten Hag, with one man already lined up to succeed him.
The Red Devils looked to replace the Dutchman over the summer but were turned down by Thomas Tuchel, among others. The FA Cup-winning boss continued at the helm, despite reports that it would be expensive to relieve him of duties – but has won just two of his last seven fixtures.
With the likelihood of his exit mounting and odds already forming on his replacement, Ten Hag may have two games to save his career at Old Trafford ahead of the international break. One successor though, is already in place.
Manchester United already have their next boss in place
As part of retaining Ten Hag over the summer, Manchester United revamped a number of areas of the club. The likes of Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth moved to Old Trafford as directors, while on the pitch, there was significant effort in upgrading the squad across the pitch.
Perhaps most notably, former striker Eredivisie boss and Ten Hag's ally Rene Hake joined, followed by former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Oranje cult hero has been credited with working with the forwards at the Red Devils to improve the prolificacy in front of goal among other things.
But now, Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen has claimed that RVN could in fact replace ETH in the dugout. Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur have relayed his words, in which he has claimed that Van Nistelrooy could be ready for the step up.
“I think Nistelrooy is open to it,” he said. “And that could be possible, because the dream candidate is of course not there.
“Van Nistelrooy comes from the club and is already well regarded by the players. Someone who has played football at the top, also at United,” he said.
United's lack of a “dream candidate” could well have been a driving force in their decision to install Van Nistelrooy in the first place, with the former PSV manager an option as an interim manager. In the past, United have leant on external solutions in short-term needs for a coach, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick both overseeing interim spells at the club.
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FourFourTwo believes, however, that this time could be different. New owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring a winning mentality to the club and change the culture that has set in over the past decade, with Van Nistelrooy representing a change from the malaise that has become synonymous with the Glazers' ownership.
In five years at Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy won the league, FA Cup and League Cup, and is still remembered as an icon of a winning era by fans.
What is Ruud van Nistelrooy's coaching record like?
Van Nistelrooy begun his coaching journey with the Netherlands national team, with whom he netted one in two goals with, striking 35 in 70 games in a 13-year spell. The legendary marksman was assistant on two separate occasions for the Oranje, supplementing this experience with a spell at Jong PSV.
The 48-year-old stepped into the senior manager's role in 2022, coaching his former side for almost a season, until he was sacked in May of that year. He can count himself a little unlucky to have lost his job, having finished second in the league and won the KNVB Cup on penalties against Ajax.
Van Nistelrooy favours much the same kind of style as Ten Hag, wanting to press from the front and pass out from the back.
