Ruud van Nistelrooy has officially been appointed as the manager of Leicester City, signing a contract that extends until June 2027. This announcement comes just under three weeks after he departed from his role at Manchester United. However, Van Nistelrooy will not be managing the team in their upcoming match against Brentford on Saturday.
Instead, Van Nistelrooy will be observing from the stands, with first-team coach Ben Dawson taking charge on the sidelines. Dawson will be supported by the coaching staff, including Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes. Van Nistelrooy is set to be formally introduced by Leicester on Monday, and his first match in charge will be a home game against West Ham on Tuesday.
The former Dutch international takes over from Steve Cooper, who was relieved of his duties on Sunday. At the time of Cooper's dismissal, Leicester was positioned 16th in the league, just one point above the relegation zone. Van Nistelrooy joined Manchester United as an assistant to Erik ten Hag last summer and was temporarily placed in charge at the end of October following Ten Hag's dismissal. During his interim role, he managed three wins and a draw in four matches. Notably, two of these victories were against Leicester, including a 5-2 win in the Carabao Cup and a 3-0 league triumph in his final match as caretaker manager.
Prior to his appointment at Leicester, Van Nistelrooy's experience as a head coach was with PSV Eindhoven during the 2022-23 season. Under his leadership, PSV won the Dutch Cup, but he resigned less than a month later, citing insufficient support within the club. Reflecting on his new role, Van Nistelrooy expressed his pride and excitement, stating, "I'm proud, I'm excited. Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic. They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the club, the supporters, and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive. I'm excited to start and to get to know everyone and give everything I can."
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the chairman of Leicester City, also shared his enthusiasm, saying, "Ruud's experience, knowledge, and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us, and we look forward to supporting him in achieving success."
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