By The Associated Press’s Steve Douglas
Ruud van Nistelrooy was appointed manager of Leicester on Friday after an outstanding stint as interim coach at his old team, Manchester United, which included two victories over his new squad.
After being promoted last season, the 48-year-old Van Nistelrooy will take over a team in fifth-to-last position in the English Premier League. He signed a contract that expires in June 2027.
Former Netherlands striker Van Nistelrooy, who played professional soccer for Real Madrid and Manchester United, joined United’s coaching staff in July as Erik ten Hag’s assistant. Following Ten Hag’s dismissal last month, Van Nistelrooy took over as interim manager. In his four games in charge, he had three victories and one draw until Ruben Amorim was brought on as Ten Hag’s permanent replacement.
On Sunday, November 3, 2024, Manchester United’s head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy cheers following the team’s Premier League soccer match against Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ian Hodgson/AP)
These triumphs included a 3-0 victory over the Foxes in the Premier League and a 5-2 thumping of a debilitated Leicester squad in the English League Cup.
I’m thrilled and proud. “Everyone I talk to is excited about Leicester,” Van Nistelrooy added.
After leading PSV Eindhoven for nearly a season and winning the Dutch Cup before leaving toward the end of the 2022–2023 season, this will be Van Nistelrooy’s second senior full-time managerial position.
According to Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Ruud’s experience, expertise, and winning mindset will surely be very beneficial to us. We are eager to help him achieve victory for our supporters and our team.
On Saturday, Leicester, which dismissed Steve Cooper last weekend after winning just two of its 12 league games, travels to Brentford. The team will be led by first-team coach Ben Dawson, while Van Nistelrooy will be present but not in command at that time.
Cooper’s departure was somewhat unexpected, according to Dawson, and the players expressed some of that early in the week.
He said that the club’s management handled the consequences from last weekend’s Christmas party in Copenhagen, where pictures of the players’ celebration went viral on social media.
One video has a sign with the words “Enzo” on it. As Leicester’s players partied in a nightclub, the song “I miss you” was played. Enzo Maresca, Cooper’s predecessor, joined Chelsea during the offseason.
A day after the Copenhagen party, Cooper was let go.
This week, the Thai owner of Leicester, Aiyawatt, met with the players after being displeased by the video, according to a story in the British daily The Daily Telegraph.
First and foremost, Dawson stated that the boys had a few days off and that it was up to them to decide how to use that time. Early in the week, the club resolved the issue you raised really swiftly. The guys have been incredibly professional and productive, and everyone has moved on.
https://apnews.com/hub/soccer is the AP soccer website.
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