Leicester City have quickly named a replacement for fired manager Steve Cooper, appointing former Manchester United assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new boss.
Van Nistelrooy, 48, has signed a contract through the 2026-27 season. He takes over a Leicester side with 10 points, one points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three through 12 matches.
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The Dutchman was a massive star as a player for PSV Eindhoven, Man United, and Real Madrid, also playing for Den Bosch, Heerenveen, Hamburg, and Malaga while winning 70 caps with 35 goals as a Netherlands national team player.
He joined Manchester United as an assistant to Erik ten Hag this summer, then took interim charge of the Red Devils once his countryman was sacked at Old Trafford.
Prior to that, Van Nistelrooy was an assistant to Guus Hiddink for the Netherlands men’s national team, then worked for PSV Eindhoven at the u19 and first team level as a head coach.
Van Nistelrooy coached one season for PSV, winning the Dutch Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield.
Leicester City statement on hiring of Van Nistelrooy
“It is my pleasure to welcome Ruud to Leicester City,” said Leicester City chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha. “He joins a Club with a rich history, passionate supporters, and a talented squad, and we are all excited to see the impact he can have as we embark on this new chapter together. Ruud’s experience, knowledge, and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us, and we look forward to supporting him in achieving success for our fans and our Club.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy on Leicester City team
“I think the depth of the squad is very good as well,” Van Nistelrooy said via lcfc.com. “There are two players in every position of good quality. There’s young, emerging talents, with very experienced players and, obviously, the captain, Jamie Vardy, has the most experience and the character. He’s the face of the Football Club. As a former striker, I can’t wait to work together with him as well.”
“Preparing those two games against Leicester, that’s where you get to study the opponent, and their qualities – and also where you can hurt them. Of course, that gave a broader picture of the squad and the team, and the behaviours of the players. After that, the interest was shown, and I started to look even further into the games and looking to improve. Where can we improve and where do we have to improve to stabilise, to start growing, to start collecting more points? That’s what I did, and I trust the squad that we can manage that.
“A lot of principles and structures that I see, on the ball and off the ball, are structures that I use a lot myself as the PSV manager and at United. Not all of them, of course, but many of them. The way Leicester City played under [Enzo] Maresca, winning the Championship and going into the Premier League, I see also that line continuing in those structures and the idea of playing. ... I can plug into that.”