Yesterday a striker, today a boss: Van Nistelrooy as interim manager of Manchester United

Ruud van Nistelrooy, once a celebrated striker for Manchester United, is aware of his temporary position as interim manager with the Red Devils. However, he remains optimistic about retaining leadership of the Premier League match against Chelsea FC through the weekend. After the dismissal of Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman assumed the role of head coach earlier this week, which he previously served as an assistant coach. Nevertheless, a permanent solution is already in view: Sporting coach Ruben Amorim is considered a strong candidate for the managerial position at Old Trafford. Van Nistelrooy already celebrated an initial success with a dominant 5-2 victory in the League Cup quarter-finals against Leicester City. During the press conference on Thursday, he spoke about his temporary role and the clear communication of this transitional solution. He commented on Ten Hag’s painful departure emotionally, with mixed feelings, but remained determined to meet the expectations of the fans despite it all. His focus remains on the eagerly anticipated match against Chelsea. In the long term, van Nistelrooy plans to return to his original assistant position. He emphasizes that he returned to United for an important reason and is highly motivated to support the club in any capacity. Whether as interim manager or assistant, his passion for the club’s development is unquestionable. The future will become clearer with the arrival of the new manager. In conclusion, van Nistelrooy reflected on the pressure to achieve results. United finished the last season disappointingly in eighth place, despite an FA Cup final victory against Man City. The current season also started shakily, ultimately leading to the end for Ten Hag. Football remains a results-driven business, as he noted. Talks between United and Sporting are underway, but Amorim remains tight-lipped about updates, as does van Nistelrooy. The announcement of the new manager is highly anticipated, but it remains to be seen what the coming days will bring.