Ruud van Nistelrooy shows his true colours with parting message to Man Utd stars
Ruud van Nistelrooy has left Manchester United after Ruben Amorim officially took charge, with the Dutchman urging players to fully support the new manager in a parting message
by Matthew Cooper · The MirrorRuud van Nistelrooy urged the Manchester United squad to support new manager Ruben Amorim in his final message.
Van Nistelrooy took charge of four games as interim United manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked last month, overseeing three wins and one draw. However, it was announced that he would be leaving the club after Amorim officially started his reign.
Van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel have all departed, with Amorim bringing in his own backroom staff. Those appointments are yet to be confirmed, but it is understood that Carlos Fernandes, Adelio Candido, Paulo Barreira, Emanuel Ferro, and Jorge Vital have all made the move with Amorim from Sporting.
According to the Sun, Van Nistelrooy told United's players he was expecting to leave the club after taking charge of their 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday. The report adds that the former United striker told the squad to 'work hard to bring back the glory days' under Amorim.
A source told the publication: "Ruud made clear to the bosses he wanted to stay at United because he loves the club. But he was also pragmatic and expected that Amorim would want total control of things, including his backroom staff.
"He told the players he was very happy to have come back and to have had the chance to manage the club for four games. It has helped his managerial career, increased his already strong ties with United and he hasn't given up on the idea that he might be back one day.
"He made all that clear to the players and demanded that they give their all to the new manager." Van Nistelrooy had stated publicly that he wanted to be part of Amorim's coaching staff, having only returned to the club as an assistant coach in July.
"Before I came to United I was looking to manage, no doubt about that," Van Nistelrooy said earlier this month. "When United came in with this opportunity, for me, it was a fantastic opportunity.
"I wanted to be here and I put that [management ambitions] aside. For me, that was a deliberate decision to come here and help out. I just want to stay and do the same thing and, for me, that's my focus for the moment."
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