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Ruud van Nistelrooy left devastated by Man Utd exit after rejecting jobs to take role

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been left devastated by his departure from Manchester United.

Van Nistelrooy was hoping to be given a coaching role under new United boss Ruben Amorim after returning to Old Trafford as part of Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff in the summer – but the Portuguese decided there was no place for the Dutchman after opting to bring his own trusted team with him from Sporting Lisbon.

Van Nistelrooy, the former United striker who was unbeaten in four games as interim manager following Ten Hag’s sacking last month, has opted to keep his counsel over Amorim’s decision.

But former Blackburn and Holland defender Andre Ooijer, who is a close friend of Van Nistelrooy and was part of his coaching team when he was in charge at PSV Eindhoven, has revealed that his mate is gutted.

Ooijer said: “Ruud wanted to stay as assistant. He would have said something if he wasn’t interested in working with Amorim. Ruud has had the chance to be manager or head coach at other clubs, but he deliberately did not take those jobs because he wanted to work at the club he loves most.

“Don’t forget Ruud did really well at United, a draw against Chelsea and victories in the other three matches. You could tell the fans liked him so much. You only had to watch how they reacted to him after his last match. He did so well under difficult circumstances. He has stayed unbeaten as a manager. If Amorim does not get the right results in the first few games, the crowd could start calling again for Ruud.”

Van Nistelrooy left PSV after a successful year in charge which saw the Eredivisie club qualify for the Champions League and win both the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield. He was on the verge of becoming Burnley boss in the summer when United offered him the chance to work alongside Ten Hag.

Sources close to the 48-year-old have confirmed that he has now set his sights on landing a job in the Premier League after his stint at Old Trafford – and former international team-mate Wesley Sneijder is convinced that Van Nistelrooy is destined to return to Old Trafford as manager at some stage.

Sneijder said: “If United are clever – and I am sure that this is what they are doing – they will get Ruud ready to take over in two or three years.”

Another ex-team-mate, ex-Tottenham playmaker Rafael van der Vaart, added: “When Ten Hag was sacked, Ruud was thinking ‘I must take this chance and if I do well, something can work out for me.’ The club have decided to go a different way, but that does not spoil it all for him.

“Ruud’s moment will come. The job really suits him. Ruud is the king at Old Trafford. Everyone loves him because he is a legend. He absolutely loves the club and the club loves him.”

Van Nistelrooy reached out to his former Holland coach Marco van Basten for advice when he accepted the offer to step in following Ten Hag’s departure after a poor start to the season.