Leicester City have announced the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new first-team manager.
The 48-year-old Dutchman, who has agreed a contract until June 2027, arrives just two-and-a-half weeks after leaving Man Utd following his spell as their interim head coach. He replaces Steve Cooper, who was sacked by Leicester on Sunday after just 12 matches in charge.
Welcome, Ruud van Nistelrooy 🦊 💙 pic.twitter.com/wHcwZc85eY
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 29, 2024
“I’m proud, I’m excited,” Van Nistelrooy told the official club website. “Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic, has great stories about the quality of the people working at the Club, the supporters, also of course, the recent history of the Club is impressive.
“I think the depth of the squad is very good as well. There are two players in every position of good quality. There’s young, emerging talents, with very experienced players and, obviously, the captain, Jamie Vardy, has the most experience and the character. He’s the face of the Football Club. As a former striker, I can’t wait to work together with him as well.”
Van Nistelrooy will watch Leicester's match at Brentford on Saturday from the stands before taking charge for the first time when the Foxes host West Ham United on Tuesday.
Leicester's next five PL fixtures
Van Nistelrooy's success at Man Utd
Van Nistelrooy enjoyed a successful spell during his brief time in charge of Man Utd.
Following Erik ten Hag's departure a month ago, Van Nistelrooy oversaw four matches across all competitions and won three of them, while drawing the other.
Two of those victories came against his new club Leicester, with a 5-2 EFL Cup victory being followed by a 3-0 triumph in the Premier League - Man Utd's biggest home league win of the season.
Van Nistelrooy arrives at Leicester with the remit of retaining their Premier League status, with the Foxes currently in 16th place, two points above the bottom three. He is set to be in the dugout this Saturday when they travel to Brentford.
Career so far
Van Nistelrooy made his name in the Premier League as a prolific striker for Man Utd. Joining them in 2001, he scored 150 goals in all competitions in five seasons to go 11th on the club’s all-time goalscorers' list.
See: Van Nistelrooy's Premier League stats
In 2002/03, his 25 Premier League goals helped Man Utd to claim the title as well winning him the Golden Boot and Player of the Season award.
After hanging up his boots, Van Nistelrooy returned to former club PSV Eindhoven in 2013 to start his coaching career. He worked with the academy, as well as assisting Guus Hiddink and the Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, one of two spells with the national team.
In the summer of 2022, Van Nistelrooy was promoted to head coach at PSV. In his only season in charge he guided PSV to success in the Dutch Cup before then resigning, citing a lack of support from players and staff.
Then came his appointment as assistant manager at Man Utd this summer, and then his time as interim coach, before his departure when Ruben Amorim took charge at Old Trafford.
