New Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy admits it “hurt” that he had to leave Man Utd after Ruben Amorim’s arrival at the club last month.
The Red Devils legend had steadied the ship after Erik ten Hag’s exit at the end of October with the former Netherlands international in charge as interim Man Utd boss for four matches.
Van Nistelrooy led his side to a draw against Chelsea and a win over Leicester City in the Premier League, while he also beat the Foxes in the League Cup and downed PAOK in the Europa League.
The Man Utd legend gave Amorim a solid platform to get his tenure off to the best possible start but the new Red Devils boss informed Van Nistelrooy that he would not be keeping him on in mid-November.
That led Van Nistelrooy to look for other work and Leicester snapped him up to replace Steve Cooper with the former striker now set to face Man Utd later in the season in the opposing dugout.
Revealing his feelings on leaving Man Utd, Van Nistelrooy told reporters: “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. 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.
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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.”
Van Nistelrooy takes charge of a struggling Leicester City with the Foxes losing their last three matches, including a 4-1 loss against Brentford at the weekend.
On getting the Leicester job, Van Nistelrooy added: “I was able to make a decision that felt really good for me, and now I’m here. Everyone tells you about how good the facilities are here but when you come and see it with your own eyes, it’s hard to believe.
“A year ago, I was in Madrid meeting [Carlo] Ancelotti, and being with him and the facilities over there, if you change the logos, it’s similar. It’s fantastic and it’s an opportunity here for young players, and all the players, to use everything possible to develop, to get better and to become better players. And in the end, that’s what it’s about.
“For me, it’s important that I know how things are planned and managed in the near-future but also in the little-bit-longer future. What is most important is the current squad and for me to really get a good assessment over the coming weeks leading into the January window to make those assessments by giving every player the chance.”
