According to reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano, Leicester City are set to appoint former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy as their new manager.
Romano tweeted on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Documents being checked and then time to announce Ruud van Nistelrooy as new Leicester City head coach.”
The Foxes confirmed Steve Cooper’s sacking on November 24 following a disappointing home defeat against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. Although the former Nottingham Forest boss was on course to avoid relegation, Leicester chairman Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha made the bold decision to sack Cooper just 157 days after his appointment.
Top was unhappy with Leicester’s lacklustre displays this season and did not want to repeat the same mistake as he did in the 2022/23 relegation season. With Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes struggling, the chairman left it too late to sack him, resulting in the club’s shock relegation to the EFL Championship. Cooper’s dismissal comes a month before the January transfer window, providing Nistelrooy adequate time to assess the squad and identify potential winter targets.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is a relatively inexperienced manager
This will be Nistelrooy’s second senior managerial experience after his one-year stint in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. The former striker led the Rotterdam side to a domestic double, clinching the Dutch Cup and the Dutch Super Cup. Nistelrooy surprisingly resigned from his role one game before the season finale, with reports suggesting that he had fallen out with the PSV management and players. He managed 50 games for PSV, winning 34 and losing just eight.
After Erik Ten Hag’s dismissal, Nistelrooy also had a brief stint as Manchester United’s interim head coach. He managed the Red Devils for four games, leading them to three victories and a draw. Two wins were against Leicester, with a 5-2 thrashing in the EFL Cup followed by a comfortable 3-0 victory ten days later.
The Dutchman’s appointment will be met with intrigue and excitement from the Foxes faithful. Nistelrooy’s relative inexperience in managing top-flight clubs makes him a bold choice–almost a gamble–by the Leicester board to replace Cooper as the former Premier League champions fight for survival this season.
