Talks for club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy to join Manchester United’s coaching staff ‘advancing fast’

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Ruud van Nistelrooy approached by Manchester United to join ten Hag's backroom staff

Ruud van Nistelrooy hasn’t just been linked with a return to Manchester United, the club legend has reportedly already been approached and talks are thought to be “advancing fast” as the rebuild under the INEOS regime continues.

Even more interestingly, it appears as though he may have dropped a few hints about where he sees his future going of late.

As first reported by Fabrizio Romano on Sunday, van Nistelrooy is said to have been approached by Man United and the recently rejigged executive team this month, with a look to have him join Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff ahead of next season.

The Dutchman left his first senior managerial position at his former club PSV Eindhoven back in September 2023 after what he called “a lack of support”, but has also been linked with the Burnley role following Vincent Kompany’s departure along with the top job at Leicester too.

Though Romano was the first person to report on the prospective van Nistelrooy-United reunion, the 47-year-old has been talking about potential next steps for his career as recently as March, and many fans are getting excited now they are understood to have advanced.

As per The Mirror, van Nistelrooy was quoted as saying: “I have had offers from various clubs, also in my own country, but I would love to work in England or in Spain. I want to coach in a league where I have played because I speak the language fluently in those countries.

“In my opinion, I have gained plenty of experience. I have gone through the ranks. I did the younger youth teams at PSV, I was coach of the under-21s and subsequently became manager of the first team.”

The ex-United and Real Madrid striker, who scored 150 goals in 219 games for the Reds, also went on to note how he helped a number of talented young players including Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke, Johan Bakayoko and Xavi Simons.

Speaking of youth talent, another interesting link has arisen from United’s ongoing pursuit of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who van Nistelrooy gushed over at length in his Coaches’ Voice ‘Masterclass’ episode, which spotlighted his significant win over Ajax in the Dutch Cup final.

@coachesvoice In his Masterclass, Ruud van Nistelrooy talks about the qualities he saw in Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite while he was on loan at PSV, including his speed which allowed the side to play a high line… 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👏 #PSV #JarradBranthwaite #CoachesVoice ♬ original sound – The Coaches’ Voice

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While it remains unclear what the exact nature of the role would be, it’s clear that van Nistelrooy is more than confident in his own abilities and being a fellow compatriot of ten Hag could be a plus in the column to perhaps become his latest assistant coach.

However, it could very well be the case that he turned down previous job offers as he’s waiting for a top job at a club in England or Spain as already hinted.

Furthermore, van Nistelrooy went on to add: “It matters to me that it is a well-organised club. I still want to work with young players, but ideally with a mixture of experienced professionals. I want to help them improve and bring a winning mentality. The latter is the most important thing. With my style of football.”

That being said, given it’s been a somewhat turbulent time for Man United recently – a team who are still very much in flux, have only recently confirmed that ten Hag will stay on as manager and are still yet to show a clear way of playing – this could equally cast doubts over a deal being struck.

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Featured Images — Wikimedia Commons/Manchester United