The fates of Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy and one of his new Leicester City charges have always felt strangely intertwined.
And, as Van Nistelrooy takes over at the King Power Stadium following the shock departure of Steve Cooper a few days earlier, the former Real Madrid, Netherlands and Man United hitman opened up on his admiration for the Leicester’s evergreen skipper.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s appointment as the new Foxes boss arrived nine years after – and nearly nine years to the day – since Jamie Vardy broke his Premier League record when scoring for an eleventh consecutive top-flight game.
A record Vardy broke against Manchester United, of course.
Van Nistelrooy’s short but sweet spell in interim charge of the Red Devils, meanwhile, saw him take on Leicester twice in a matter of days. And, after masterminding a 5-2 and 3-0 thumping of The Foxes, the task now falls on the 48-year-old Dutchman to help put that sort of heavy defeat behind a Leicester side fearing an immediate return to the Championship.
And, speaking to Leicester’s in-house media for the first time, Van Nistelrooy admits that he will likely lean upon the vast experience and the influence of Vardy with the striker as sharp as ever at the age of 37.
Jamie Vardy of Leicester in action during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday at The King Power Stadium o...
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Ruud van Nistelrooy lauds Leicester City captain Jamie Vardy
“I think the depth of the squad is very good,” Van Nistelrooy explains. “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 [for Man United], 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.”
Van Nistelrooy opens up on Enzo Maresca talks
Van Nistelrooy replaces the aforementioned Cooper, sacked after just 12 games in charge and a miserable tally of two wins. TBR understands that Leicester turned to Van Nistelrooy after Graham Potter snubbed the chance to take over himself.
And Leicester will be hoping that the one-time Premier League champion is more Enzo Maresca than Steve Cooper.
Van Nistelrooy admits that, when the Foxes made their admiration known, he was straight on the phone to the man who bagged the Chelsea job after guiding Vardy and co to the Championship title last season.
“I have to say, when the interest came, the first one I called was Enzo,” Van Nistelrooy adds. “He was so positive about it. He absolutely loved his time [at the King Power]. When you hear these things, it’s a club you want to be a part of.
“Obviously, with the interest coming, I phoned him and I asked him more detailed questions about the club, the structures, the people that work there, the squad, the stadium, the fans, the town, the surroundings…
“It was a fantastic conversation. It’s always a pleasure to talk to him.”
The Van Nistelrooy era begins with a trip to Brentford on Saturday at 3pm. His home debut, meanwhile, will come against West Ham United on Tuesday night.
“I’m looking forward to that,” Van Nistelrooy adds. “The preparation will be short for the West Ham game, but we’ll get to know each other and get our focus on the West Ham game at home. It’s a new start and something to look forward to.
“When the connection is made at King Power Stadium, then we’ll know what can happen there. You start to play with eleven and then you go to twelve.
“You get the extra bit there, and it’s something which is vital in this period for the football club.”
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