Ruud van Nistelrooy admits he had ‘mixed feelings’ about being asked to take charge of Man United as interim manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked
Ruud van Nistelrooy said he enjoyed every second of his Manchester United managerial debut but admitted that he had ‘mixed feelings’ when he first learned he had landed the job.
The former United striker was appointed as interim manager on Monday after fellow Dutchman Erik ten Hag had been sacked.
Two days later, Van Nistelrooy got off to a winning start by overseeing a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
On Friday, United confirmed that they had found Ten Hag’s long-term replacement and that Ruben Amorim would be joining from Sporting Lisbon on November 11.
Van Nistelrooy will remain in charge until then and oversee another three home games – against Chelsea, PAOK Salonika and Leicester again.
Ruud van Nistelrooy pictured on Wednesday during Man United’s 5-2 win over Leicester City
Van Nistelrooy was promoted from assistant manager to interim manager after Erik ten Hag (right) was sacked following a 2-1 defeat by West Ham last weekend
ManUtd.com published an interview with Van Nistelrooy on Saturday morning. It began with the 48-year-old describing his emotions surrounding the win over Leicester.
He began: ‘Yeah, if I speak about the game, the reception, the connection with the crowd, and how the players reacted and how the players played, it was a great night.
‘I enjoyed every second of it. Special, proud moment. Obviously the days before leading up to that were with mixed feelings.
‘It was hard to see the manager go: the one who got me into the club, you know, the one who was fighting also for this club and cared a lot about the club.
‘So that was hard. But I have to say that, after that, the crowd lifted our spirits and it was a great night in the end.’
Former striker Van Nistelrooy admitted that he had ‘mixed feelings’ after Ten Hag was sacked
Van Nistelrooy spoke to ManUtd.com in an interview that was published on Saturday morning
Van Nistelrooy then praised his players for beating a ‘good opponent’ on what could have been a ‘difficult’ night.
He added: ‘I think the players reacted very well. They took a lot of responsibility, also looking at themselves and [saying]: “We need to improve and we need to do better”.
‘It’s not only the manager’s fault, so they acknowledge that, and that’s obviously a big step in improving, and they enjoyed themselves on the pitch.’
As well as getting a positive reception from the club’s fans, Van Nistelrooy revealed that he also received messages of support from former United managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
‘Yes, I spoke shortly with Sir Alex,’ he said. ‘He wished me luck before the game. You know, Ole sent me a text to wish me luck, as [did] many former players that reached out and just sent me a text, [wishing] all the best. It was great to receive all these messages.’
