Ruud van Nistelrooy is in talks to join Erik ten Hag’s coaching team at Manchester United after previously holding discussions with Burnley to replace Vincent Kompany.
United are continuing to negotiate a new deal with Ten Hag — whose existing deal at United runs until next June, with a 12-month option to extend — after electing to keep him in place following an end-of-season review.
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The hope at Old Trafford is that Ten Hag’s contract extension can be finalised sooner rather than later and United say good progress is being made. Part of the discussions with Ten Hag include refreshing the United manager’s backroom staff, which could see Van Nistelrooy return to Old Trafford after playing for them between 2001 and 2006.
Van Nistelrooy, 47, has been without a managerial job since leaving PSV Eindhoven one game before the 2022-23 season ended and has most recently been in talks with Burnley. The Championship club need to replace Kompany after he left to take over at Bayern Munich and Van Nistelrooy was on their list of potential targets.
While a deal between Van Nistelrooy and United is yet to be finalised, discussions are ongoing and are dependent on Ten Hag signing fresh terms.
Van Nistelrooy’s possible arrival will raise questions about whether Benni McCarthy, Ten Hag’s forward coach whose deal expires at the end of this month, will be offered a new contract. Ten Hag’s two main assistants are Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag.
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Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in 219 games for United, establishing himself as a fan favourite before leaving to join Spanish club Real Madrid in July 2006.
Before deciding to stick with Ten Hag, United held talks with Thomas Tuchel, the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager, as well as Brentford’s Thomas Frank and the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
Van Nistelrooy, meanwhile, served as PSV head coach for the 2022-23 season. The 47-year-old won the Dutch Cup but resigned before the season’s end, citing a lack of support within the club. In May, the Dutchman expressed his desire to return to management and his aspiration to experience the Premier League, La Liga, and the Bundesliga — three leagues he played in during his career.
Van Nistelrooy previously coached PSV’s youth teams and served as an assistant coach with the Netherlands national team twice before his managerial role in Eindhoven. He scored 384 goals in his career, with notable stints at PSV, Real Madrid, Malaga and Hamburg.
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(Julian Finney/Getty Images)