Ruud van Nistelrooy has said he has been “surprised” at the interest in him since Manchester United’s transfer window, which he believes landed him the Leicester job.
The Dutchman was appointed as Steve Coopers successor at the Foxes on Saturday, just 20 days after he left United following the arrival of Ruben Amorim.
Van Nistelrooy, who previously spent a year in charge of PSV Eindhoven, took charge of just four games after the sacking of Erik ten Hag, winning three and drawing one, but was shocked at how many chances he was given.
In his first press conference as Leicester manager ahead of Tuesday night’s game against West Ham, the former Red Devils striker said: “I thought ‘it’s been four games and I’ve done a whole season at PSV.’ We won the Dutch Cup and the Charity Shield and the league with Jong PSV as well.
“He’s never had this reaction from the football world. Obviously it caused that reaction and I was happy with that alone.
“Getting into conversations with different parties and getting into a position that felt really good for me. Now I am here.”
Welcome, Ruud van Nistelrooy 🦊 💙 pic.twitter.com/wHcwZc85eY
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 29, 2024
Van Nistelrooy: Results over style
Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Brentford leaves Leicester just a point above the relegation zone and Van Nistelrooy insists that finding the results to take them to safety will be more important than implementing an attractive style of play.
The 48-year-old said: “I think about one thing before every game I’m preparing for, and that’s winning. When you play top teams in the Premier League, mid-tier teams or lower-ranked teams, sometimes a different approach is required.
The style of play adjusts to: “How can we win here?” I am not the romantic type of manager who puts style before results.
I love the style, I love to have the ball, I love to create a lot of chances, to push a team up, because you have more of the ball, but we are facing opponents here and we are not the dominant team in this league. We approach every game in this league to win.”
Discussion Enzo Maresca
Van Nistelrooy said he spoke to Chelsea manager and former team-mate Enzo Maresca about taking the Foxes job after the Italian guided the East Midlands side to the Championship title last season.
He said: “When the first approach came I thought about the club, the players, the training ground and the set-up. I was curious about the people who worked there.
“Enzo is a great friend and his teammate was one of the first to call. What better information could I get?
“When we played against each other when I was caretaker manager (at Man Utd) against Chelsea, we spoke for half an hour, even though I didn’t know about Leicester at the time.
“He was very positive then, and it only got better when I spoke to him again. He was absolutely right from my first impressions.”
Leicester’s transfer window plans
Van Nistelrooy said he was “open-minded” about how Leicester approach the January transfer window with just six games until the window opens.
“That was a matter of discussion,” he said. “The two conversations I had were very open and clear. For me it was important to know how things are in the near future as well as in the longer future.
“January was discussed, but what was also discussed was the current squad. It is very important for me to assess the players in the next few weeks starting in January and give each player a chance.
“Also the staff members who stay, I work with the people who are still at the club. I’m looking to bring in more people, but I also want to work with them. Then we can decide from there.”
