Leicester City set to appoint Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager, say reports
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Former Manchester United interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be appointed Leicester City's new manager.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be appointed as Leicester City’s new manager, various British media outlets reported on Nov 27.
The Dutchman recently left Manchester United after a short spell as interim manager, having served as an assistant to the sacked Erik ten Hag before that.
Leicester axed Steve Cooper on Nov 24 after just 12 English Premier League games in charge, with the Foxes 16th in the table and only one point above the relegation zone.
The Foxes had said that first-team coach Ben Dawson, and coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes will oversee training until they find a new manager.
Leicester began the season with a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but failed to record a win in their opening six league games.
Successive victories over Bournemouth and Southampton in October had eased the pressure somewhat, before three defeats in their last four games led to Cooper’s downfall.
Two of van Nistelrooy’s three wins in four games as United’s caretaker boss in the past month came against Leicester in the League Cup and Premier League – possibly a reason why the Foxes rate him highly.
He had initially voiced a desire to stay at Old Trafford under new United manager Ruben Amorim. But the club confirmed that he would not be part of the new coaching set-up shortly after the latter’s arrival.
The 48-year-old van Nistelrooy is not entirely a rookie manager, as he has previous coaching experience from one season in charge of PSV Eindhoven in 2022-23, when they finished second in the Eredivisie and won the Dutch Cup.
Sky Sports reported that he could even be appointed in time to lead Leicester in their next game away at Brentford on Nov 30.
A prolific goalscorer, van Nistelrooy enjoyed a glorious playing career, most notably at PSV, United and Real Madrid.
Separately, second-tier Coventry City said on Nov 28 they had hired former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard as manager on a 2½-year contract.
He replaces Mark Robins, who had taken them to the Championship play-off final in 2023 and the FA Cup semi-finals in 2024 but was dismissed earlier in November.
Coventry are 17th in the Championship standings after 17 games and are winless in their last four matches.
The 46-year-old Lampard previously managed Chelsea, for whom he scored 211 goals in all competitions during a trophy-laden 13 years, and Everton in the Premier League, as well as Derby County in the Championship.
He has big shoes to fill in replacing the much-loved Robins, who led Coventry from League Two to the Championship and was the English Football League’s longest-serving manager with seven years’ service when he was fired.
In other news, the Manchester Evening News reported that United supporters group The 1958 will be staging a peaceful protest against increased ticket prices alongside Everton fans ahead of their clash at Old Trafford on Dec 1.
They will be protesting against the decision which saw 19 of the 20 Premier League clubs increase their season-ticket prices for this season.
A campaign called Stop Exploiting Loyalty has been created, according to the Manchester news outlet. AFP, REUTERS
