Ruud van Nistelrooy is seeking talks with the Leicester City hierarchy over next season with a decision on the manager’s job “needed yesterday”.
With City on the verge of relegation back to the Championship, attention is turning towards the new campaign.
Van Nistelrooy has said previously that he would honour his contract, which runs to 2027, and stay at the club in the event of a bottom-three finish.
Now he says “alignment” is required. Van Nistelrooy has implied that he wants assurances that the club see him as the best person to take the team forward and that, financially and strategically, they can provide what he would want.
If that case, he can then begin to prepare for the new campaign, which will very likely be focused on achieving promotion out of the Championship and back into the Premier League.
“I think it’s very important to be aligned on that with the club,” van Nistelrooy said on next season’s manager’s job. “We have to find out over the coming weeks.
“Coming in in December and how the winter window went, taking it into the new season and the challenges we face, it’s very important for me to be aligned and (know) what possibilities are there. That alignment has to take place.”
When it was put to van Nistelrooy that the decision over next season needs to be sorted now, he replied: “It needs to be sorted yesterday.
“The short term is to get something out of the eight games remaining. But there are two focuses at the same time.
“One is clear. The other, the alignment, we have to find each other there.”
Van Nistelrooy brought up the winter window of his own accord and it seems to be a point of contention for the Dutchman that the funds weren’t there to back him.
He wanted to strengthen the squad in a few positions, especially on the wing in the injury absence of Abdul Fatawu, but ended the January transfer window with just one signing in £3m right-back Woyo Coulibaly, who has started just one game since his arrival from Parma.
Asked if there was a lack of alignment in January, van Nistelrooy said: “No, I just said it was about taking into consideration how the winter window went – and everyone knows how it went, including me.
“I also had reactions on the conversations we had in the winter window and we had to adjust expectations. I explained that. That was clearly communicated.
“Of course, I take that into consideration in the new season and what needs to be done in my opinion to help the club forward. That’s what I tried to say.”
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