Ruud van Nistelrooy exclusive: Interim boss says Manchester United must restore Old Trafford fear factor ahead of PAOK
Published 07/11/2024 at 09:49 GMT
Interim Manchester United boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has urged his side to develop a ruthless edge and put games to bed, admitting that Old Trafford now has "less" of a fear factor. The Dutchman has led United to a victory and a draw in the wake of Erik ten Hag's dismissal, and the former striker said he will "enjoy every second" of his short stint as manager.
'You have to build again' - Van Nistelrooy admits Old Trafford may have lost 'fear factor'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ruud van Nistelrooy has encouraged Manchester United to be merciless, with the interim boss saying Old Trafford has "less" of a fear factor due to recent results.
The Dutchman has led United to a 5-2 Carabao Cup win over Leicester City and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League during his temporary stint so far. He takes charge of his penultimate game against PAOK in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, ahead of Ruben Amorim's arrival on November 11.
United's winless run in the Europa League so far this season has extended an unwanted record of over a year since their last victory in Europe - a 1-0 triumph over FC Copenhagen in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League campaign.
And Van Nistelrooy said it is "important to change" United's poor record in the competition, while looking to increase the fear factor for teams heading to Old Trafford.
"That's something that is important to change," he told TNT Sports. "Home games at Old Trafford in Europe were basically hardly won [by the visitors].
"As I said, the reason why I'm here is to get United back to that point. It's hard work, it needed to be done and needs to be done but of course tomorrow is a chance to get a home win in Europe after a long time."
Asked if Old Trafford has become a less fearful place for teams to visit, the interim United boss replied: "I don't know. I think less because of the results that more teams got at Old Trafford, that means something.
"How teams are coming and playing here, so again that's something you have to build again. We have the opportunity to do that tomorrow."
In each of their three Europa League clashes so far, United have surrendered leads to draw - accumulating three points to leave them 22nd in the 36-team League Phase standings.
And Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 times in a United shirt, has encouraged a more ruthless approach from his team, urging them to "keep pushing for the next goal" in order to kill teams off.
"I was part of three European games, not the other ones so I couldn't comment on that," he said. "Obviously it's important after the first goal that you push on and go for the second, and the third.
"I think that even in Porto we were 2-0 up so those are things we have to be aware of. The best way to do it is to keep going forward to score and score the second or third.
"From the beginning, and then when you score even more and instead of going back and keep the result, I don't think we did that.
"We tried not to do it, but of course sometimes it happens. But it's something that we definitely have to keep in the back of our minds to keep pushing for the next goal."
But the temporary boss has been encouraged by "good performances" from his side in the past two matches, and said there is "urgency" to continue to build on those showings against PAOK - which will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
"There's urgency to build on the last two performances," he said. "I think that's the biggest urgency because adding good performances will increase the chance to win games.
"That's why tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it. A European night at Old Trafford, the connection between the team and the fans over the last two games was very good and very strong, that lifted us.
"If we can bring in that spirit and performance it will react towards the fans, it can be a good night."
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'I ENJOY EVERY SECOND'
Van Nistelrooy picked up the reigns from the outgoing Erik ten Hag after United suffered their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, and the ex-United frontman said he will "enjoy every second" of his time at the club, no matter the role.
"It means everything," Van Nistelrooy said. "I'm very motivated to do as well as I can in this short period of time where I feel it's a big responsibility, to get everything out of the team and get results going that we can take into the many, many games to come this season.
"My task is that we get the results so we can take benefit of it later.
"I enjoy every second of it. But I also did that in my other job assisting Erik, and as I said before I'm here to help and in any capacity, so it's not about me, it's about Manchester United."
Van Nistelrooy will also take charge of United's Premier League clash at home to Leicester on Sunday, before Amorim's arrival the following day.
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