Ruud van Nistelrooy theory raised with Man Utd told what Ruben Amorim will think
Ruud van Nistelrooy is awaiting news on his Manchester United future following the appointment of new manager Ruben Amorim and Alan Shearer thinks he knows what will happen next
by Jake Bayliss, Jake Bayliss · The MirrorAlan Shearer and Gary Lineker have suggested that Ruud van Nistelrooy might be leaving Manchester United.
Van Nistelrooy, who returned to United as Erik ten Hag's assistant coach this summer, could soon be looking for a new job despite his successful stint as interim manager. Stepping in after Ten Hag was sacked, the United legend won three of his four games in charge, concluding with a 3-0 triumph over Leicester City on Sunday.
With the arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim, it's uncertain whether Van Nistelrooy will be included in the coaching setup. The Sporting boss signed off with an away win over Braga on Sunday and will have impressed the United squad by masterminding a 4-1 win over Manchester City in the Champions League last week.
It has left Van Nistelrooy in a precarious position as he waits to hear about his future at Old Trafford. However, Shearer has argued that the former PSV Eindhoven boss is primed to restart his managerial career, which would also save Amorim from shuffling his coaching staff.
Speaking about Van Nistelrooy's situation on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: "He's a big personality, you get the feeling he wants to be a number one. He wants to be a manager. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he was to have a clean break and say, 'I've done what was asked of me, thank you very much', and Amorim came in and had a clean sweep. He's bringing all his own people in.
"Then Ruud can go and find himself a number one job somewhere. He's done himself no harm at all. In fact, he's done a great job. He's done everything asked of him and more. He's settled the ship, he's picked up points as they had to do, he's got the results as they had to do.
"Everyone knows how much he loves Man United and they love him. That's not going to change. So it wouldn't surprise me if he shook hands and said, 'Thanks very much.'"
Gary Lineker offered his perspective and agreed that it could be awkward for Amorim to find room for Van Nistelrooy in his coaching team. "It also wouldn't surprise me if Ruben Amorim comes in and goes 'Do you really want someone who's been part of the previous regime in there?'" Lineker said.
"Especially a big personality like that, and where do you place him, is he first assistant? I think it might be a little bit awkward and I suspect, like you, Alan, he might go elsewhere." Meanwhile, Micah Richards believes that Van Nistelrooy's connection with the United players and supporters is too vital to dismiss.
Those emotional ties were evident in United's win over Leicester as the Old Trafford crowd showed their appreciation for Van Nistelrooy throughout the match. The Dutchman responded by going over to the Stretford End at full-time, which he explained felt like closure for his interim spell in charge.
Van Nistelrooy praised the communication he had received from the club during his interim tenure. He now faces a short waiting game to see where his United future lies.
"For me, it is important to have that clarity and I appreciated that and in the end the most important thing is this football club, and I'm here to support that in my role," Van Nistelrooy said.
"And, as I said, I want to continue doing that in the future and now also the communication was after the block of four games there will be communication towards you and your colleagues who are in an uncertain situation. And I expect to hear today or tomorrow."
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