Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted that he was left 'hurt' after being booted out of Manchester United by new boss Ruben Amorim.
The former Dutch forward had taken charge as interim manager of United after fellow countryman Erik ten Hag's tenure come to an end. Van Nistelrooy went undefeated in his four games as boss, winning three and drawing one against Chelsea.
When Amorim officially arrived in Manchester, he took the decision to not include Van Nistelrooy in his coaching regime. The United legend had hinted that in his chats with the new Portuguese boss, he was let go due to potential problems going forward.
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"The moment I took over the interim job, what I said was I'm here to help United and to stay to help United, and I meant it," Van Nistelrooy said.
"So I was disappointed, very much so, and it hurt I had to leave. The only job I would have taken as an assistant manager was at United because of the bond I have with the people in the club, and the fans.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy signed for Man United in 2001 (Image: PA)
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"In the end I got my head round it because I also understand the new manager. I'm a manager myself. You can think of a situation, me being there... I understand.
"I spoke to Ruben about it, fair enough to him. I was grateful for the conversation: man to man, person to person, manager to manager. That helped me a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks about new possibilities which of course lifted my spirits."
Now, the ex-United forward has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Leicester to become their manager. This came shortly after the sacking of Steve Cooper who left the foxes in a relegation battle. A 4-1 defeat to Brentford on Saturday has given Van Nistelrooy a tough challenge.
Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, speaks to the media during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 press conference at Carrington Training Ground
Ruben Amorim is now the Man Utd boss (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
The new manager, Leicester's chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, and the club's director of football Jon Rudkin have all aligned their targets for this year on survival.
He continued: "I think I have to go back to my first three years of my playing days in the Dutch championship [Eerte Divisie] ... many people forget about that.
"They see 'Real Madrid, Manchester United', but my first three season in the Dutch second tier were with a club called FC Ben Bosch, and my first season as a professional when I was 18 we were 18 of 18 [in the table].
"So I know what it is to fight. I know what it is like when you have to fight for every result and where you have to work around the clock to get better, to improve, that's what I always was like in my playing days and also managing.
"I don't have a problem with that, growing up and getting better bit by bit. That's how I am."