Ruud van Nistelrooy making immediate impact at Man Utd after Benni McCarthy decision
Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has wasted no time in making his mark back at Old Trafford after arriving as part of manager Erik ten Hag's new-look staff
Almost two decades after he first left Manchester United, Ruud van Nistelrooy is once again grabbing headlines at Old Trafford.
However, it's not the Dutchman's finishing that's firing up the Red Devils these days; rather, it's the wisdom he's imparting upon the current stable of striker talent at Erik ten Hag's disposal. That's after United cut ties with another former Premier League hitman, Benni McCarthy, to bring a club legend back into their ranks as Ten Hag's assistant.
Van Nistelrooy, 48, already appears to have built a rapport with certain players and was seen encouraging Marcus Rashford after the forward missed a big chance in the Community Shield defeat by Manchester City on penalties. Reserve goalkeeper Tom Heaton also recently praised the comeback king and referred to his coaching as "outstanding" not long after his arrival.
The Daily Mail reported in July that Van Nistelrooy - who scored 150 goals in five years at United - took a leading role in training on their pre-season tour of the United States. Like Ten Hag, the Red Devils icon left an Eredivisie manager role (at PSV) to complete his return to United, so it makes sense he'd expect to maintain a prominent voice in his new surroundings.
READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick itREAD MORE: Graeme Souness predicts "lightweight" new Man Utd signing will flop in Premier LeagueDespite the club coup, it came at the cost of a well-liked staff figure in McCarthy, who was one of Ten Hag's first coaching appointments in the summer of 2022. The ex-Blackburn and West Ham striker served as a first-team coach at United, while Van Nistelrooy is one of Ten Hag's two assistants, but many of their priorities helping the attack may overlap.
That being said, Heaton has also highlighted his former team-mate's influence on the defensive side of things, "because he understands that side of it too." And that should aid the Dutch-born defensive duo of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui once their moves are made official.
Rashford was highly complimentary of McCarthy's impact at Old Trafford and told SuperSport in March 2023: "I think he has done a good job. It's always good for us to have a particular coach that concentrates on us as a forwards group. We have worked more as a team going forward which has led us to creating more chances and scoring more goals."
Given his predatory scent for the goal during his playing days, it aligns that Van Nistelrooy should be in little mood to waste time back at his former stomping ground. The veteran won a Premier League title, FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Old Trafford but left following a fallout with Sir Alex Ferguson's then-assistant, Carlos Queiroz.
Now in the No. 2 role himself, Van Nistelrooy will seek to succeed where Queiroz perhaps did not as he looks to shepherd Rashford & Co to new heights. He has his work cut out for him considering United's decline since old boss Ferguson departed, but there are few alumni better qualified to reignite the revival - and it's already showing.
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