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MANCHESTER United’s first team squad are desperate for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy to stay on after Ruben Amorim takes over in the Old Trafford dugout.
The players are united in their belief that Amorim should make the United legend part of his backroom squad after growing close to him since he was brought back to the club in the summer by sacked manager Erik ten Hag.
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GettyVan Nistelrooy was appointed assistant manager and quickly formed a bond with the squad, who regarded him as easier to communicate with than ten Hag, would could blow hot and cold with players.
The former striker – who scored 150 goals in 219 games during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign – became a vital link between ten Hag and the players.
A source said: “The players all really really want Ruud to stay on and have made their feelings clear internally that they believe he should remain at the club, even if and when Amorim takes over as boss.
“To a man, they all like him and get on with him and they also respect him because they know he undertands what it’s like to play for United and the pressures that come with it.
“They are hopeful that he stays involved in the setup.”
Van Nistelrooy stepped in as interim manager on Monday after United sacked ten Hag following a 2-1 loss at West Ham, which left them 14th in the Premier League.
He inspired the team to a rousing 5-2 victory over Leicester in the Caraboa Cup on Wednesday and will be in charge on Sunday as they take on Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game, Van Nistelrooy made clear he hopes to remain at United.
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He said: “I decided to come back here for a very important reason.
“I came as an assistant to help the club move forward.
“It’s going to be a short job as an interim – that was communicated very clear.
“I was happy with that. I will then go back to my assistant contract that I have here for this season and next.
“When a new manager signs and conversations take place we have to see how things develop.”
Amorim is not expected to start at United for another ten days, meaning Van Nistelrooy is likely to be in charge for Thursday’s Europa League clash against PAOK and then again for the Premier League game against Leicester on November 10.
Amorim has promised to speak about his future after Sporting Lisbon’s game against Estrela Amadora tonight.
Why NOBODY is the right man to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
SunSport’s DAVE KIDD explains what’s wrong with all the potential candidates to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would also have been a popular and gettable option – but England got in there first.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
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