Ruud van Nistelrooy said he was “astonished” at the interest in him from his interim spell as Manchester United boss, which he feels helped land him the role of Leicester manager.
The 48-year-old was appointed as Steve Cooper’s successor on Saturday, only 20 days after he left Old Trafford following Ruben Amorim’s arrival as their permanent head coach.
Van Nistelrooy only took charge of four games following Erik ten Hag’s sacking, but said he was taken aback by the opportunities it presented upon his departure, given he had previously won silverware as PSV manager, twice served on the Netherlands’ coaching staff and enjoyed a successful spell in charge of PSV’s U19 side.
“What happened after the games, the amount of interest which was there all of a sudden, for me, the options which came along, I was astonished,” he said.
“I thought, ‘it was four games, and I’ve managed a full season at PSV’. We won the Dutch Cup and the Charity Shield and the championship with Jong PSV as well.
Van Nistelrooy (right) lifted the Dutch Cup with PSV months before he left the club in 2023
“It never got this reaction from the football world. Apparently it provoked this reaction and I was only happy with that. To get into conversations with different parties, and to get into a position which felt really good for me. Now I’m here.”
Van Nistelrooy revealed he had taken inspiration from his Manchester United spell to help determine whether he should take the vacant role at Leicester, following discussions with his former team-mate and friend Enzo Maresca, who coached the Foxes to the Championship title last season.
The two played together in the twilight of Van Nistelrooy’s career at Malaga in 2011/12, and have remained close ever since. But their first conversations about the club began even before the job became available.
Van Nistelrooy said: “When the first approach came, I thought about the club, players, training ground and set-up. I was curious about people who worked there.
“Enzo is a great friend and team-mate was one of the first to call. What better information could I get?
“When we played against each other when I was the interim manager [at Man Utd] against Chelsea, we spoke for half an hour even though I didn’t know about Leicester at the time.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Brentford and Leicester City
“He was very positive back then, and it only got better when I spoke to him again. He was absolutely right from the first impressions I have got.”
Leicester’s hierarchy have given Van Nistelrooy a clear, “challenging” target to retain the club’s Premier League status, he added, and said he was open-minded about how the January transfer window will be approached with six games to play before they can enter the market.
“That was a topic of discussion,” he said. “The two conversations I had were very open and clear. For me, it was important to know how things are in the near future but also in the longer future.
“January was discussed, but what was also discussed was the current squad. It’s most important for me to get an assessment of the players over the coming weeks leading into January and give every player the chance.
“Also the staff members that are staying, I’m working together with the people who are still at the club. I’m looking to bring in more people, but am keen on working with them as well. Then we can decide from there.”
