Leicester City are close to appointing Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager.
Van Nistelrooy is set to be announced by the Foxes as the successor to Steve Cooper imminently after the 44-year-old was sacked last weekend.
The Dutchman has an impressive CV considering his limited time in management and won a domestic double at PSV before leaving. He also went unbeaten in his four games in charge as caretaker manager of Manchester United this season.
Games managed 50
Games won 32
Games drawn 10
Games lost 8
Win percentage 46.81%
Ruud van Nistelrooy all-time managerial stats
If apppointed in time, Van Nistelrooy will be in the dugout for the Foxes’ trip to Brentford on Saturday, but his appointment will create history regardless.
Ruud van Nistelrooy to become the first Dutch manager in Leicester history
Ruud van Nistelrooy, assistant manager of Manchester United, during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at...
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
The 48-year-old is regarded as a Premier League icon and Van Nistelrooy’s appointment has excited Leicester fans.
His appointment will also be a historic one for the club as he becomes the first man from the Netherlands to manage the Foxes.
Furthermore, he will also be one of the youngest managers in Leicester’s history but is still older than Cooper, who is 44.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be appointed as the new Leicester City manager with confirmation expected soon, as per @JPercyTelegraph.
He will become the first Dutchman to manage the club. The first Dutchman at the club since Van Aaanholt and Jeffrey Bruma in 2011. #LCFC
— Josh Holland (@_joshhollandd) November 27, 2024
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How many Dutch players have played for Leicester City?
You’ll struggle to find many Dutch players who have worn the colours of the Leicester City shirt.
There hasn’t been a player from the Netherlands at the King Power Stadium since 2011 when Patrick van Aanholt and Jeffrey Bruma were on loan.
Jeffrey Bruma of Leicester City shows his dissapointment during the npower Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Leicester City at City ...
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Before that was defender Michael Lamey, who failed to establish himself in the first team after joining in 2010 and leaving a year later.
Collins John spent a brief period of time on loan at the Foxes in 2007 before retuning to Fulham with two goals from 11 games.
Sergio Hellings never played for the club and left in 2008 after one season at the club. Mark de Vries was the first Dutch player to play for Leicester, between 2005-2006 and scored 11 times in 63 games.
How Leicester almost signed Johan Cruyff
There may not have been many Dutch Leicester players over the time but they came very close to signing one of the best players of all time from the Netherlands: Johan Cruyff.
After leaving Barcelona for the USA in 1979, Cruyff was left underwhelmed by the artificial surfaces and wanted a return to Europe two years later.
Sitting 22nd in the First Division, the Foxes faced relegation and manager Jock Wallace launched an audacious bid to sign the 33-year-old.
Photo by Hugh Hastings/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Negotiations continued for three weeks, with Cruyff open to joining in a bid to get first-team football before the 1982 World Cup.
The 33-year-old looked set to move until the eleventh hour when he then opted to join second tier Spanish side Levante.
What could’ve been.
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