Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw two wins against Leicester in a recent spell as interim manager at Manchester United.Photograph: LCFC
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been confirmed as the manager of Leicester on a contract to June 2027, less than three weeks after he left Manchester United, but will not take charge of Saturday’s game at Brentford.
Van Nistelrooy will be in the stands there and the first-team coach, Ben Dawson, will be in the dugout, supported by the coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes. Van Nistelrooy will be presented by Leicester on Monday and his first game will be at home to West Ham on Tuesday.
The former Netherlands international succeeds Steve Cooper, who was dismissed on Sunday with Leicester 16th, one point above the relegation zone. Van Nistelrooy joined United as an assistant to Ten Hag last summer and was placed in interim charge at the end of October after Ten Hag’s sacking.
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He oversaw three wins and a draw from his four matches. Two of the victories came against Leicester, a 5-2 win in the Carabao Cup being followed by a 3-0 league triumph in his final match in caretaker charge.
Van Nistelrooy’s previous experience as a first-team head coach came at PSV in the 2022-23 season, where he won the Dutch Cup before resigning less than a month later, citing a lack of support within the club.
“I’m proud, I’m excited,” Van Nistelrooy said. “Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic. They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the club, the supporters and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive. I’m excited to start and to get to know everyone and give everything I can.”
The chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said: “Ruud’s experience, knowledge, and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us, and we look forward to supporting him in achieving success.”