Update

Ruud van Nistelrooy: Leicester City set to appoint former Manchester United interim head coach

Ruud van Nistelrooy went unbeaten during a four-game spell as interim head coach of Manchester United; Leicester sacked manager Steve Cooper on Monday after just five months in charge; Foxes are on a five-game winless run and sit 16th in Premier League, one point above the relegation zone

Rob Dorsett

Senior Reporter, Sky Sports News @RobDorsettSky

Friday 29 November 2024 09:29, UK

Ruud van Nistelrooy is expected to accept an offer from Leicester City to become their new manager, but will not take charge of the Foxes this weekend.

Leicester are working on the final details of a deal to install the former Manchester United interim boss as the replacement for Steve Cooper, who was sacked after just five months.

First-team coach Ben Dawson will take charge of the team at Brentford on Saturday after taking training this week following Cooper's departure.

This means Van Nistelrooy's first game in charge of Leicester would be against West Ham at the King Power on Tuesday.

Van Nistelrooy has been exploring opportunities to become a No 1 and Sky Sports News understands he had a number of offers from other European clubs.

Leicester had considered former Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg boss Niko Kovac and West Brom manager Carlos Corberan as possible candidates, but have now decided Van Nistelrooy is their preferred choice.

The decision has been taken by club owner Aiyawatt Shrivadhannaprabha - known as 'Top' - who took personal responsibility for the appointment, with director of football Jon Rudkin preparing a list of candidates.

Van Nistelrooy was appointed as assistant manager at Manchester United in the summer having been out of work since quitting as PSV Eindhoven boss before the end of the 2022/23 season.

He became interim head coach when Erik ten Hag was sacked in October and twice beat Leicester - 5-2 in the Carabao Cup and 3-0 in the Premier League - to stay unbeaten in his four games in charge, before the club confirmed his departure following Ruben Amorim's arrival.

Analysis: Van Nistelrooy can bridge gap between fans and club

Sky Sports' Danyal Khan:

"This has always felt like a really big appointment. If you look at Leicester's recent history, they have gone through a few managers. The last time they were in the Premier League, they sacked Brendan Rodgers in April, then only gave Dean Smith eight games to bid for survival - and weren't successful.

"Enzo Maresca led them back to the Premier League last season but then left for Chelsea. Steve Cooper only lasted 12 Premier League games. So this feels like a really important appointment, led by the chairman.

"Leicester have been considering a number of options but, because paying compensation has been a consideration, they have gone for a free agent in Ruud van Nistelrooy.

"We saw what he was able to do during his four-game interim period at Man Utd - not just the results but scoring a bucket-load of goals too. He showed an immediate improvement.

"Leicester need a reconnection between the team and fans, and Van Nistelrooy is a very good communicator. They want someone they can get behind and support. This is an exciting appointment."

Why did Leicester sack Cooper?

Analysis by Sky Sports News' Danyal Khan and Lyall Thomas:

"Despite sitting 16th, with 10 points from 12 games, the club believe taking this decision gives them the best chance of staying in the Premier League.

"There is a feeling in the club's hierarchy that they could be higher than they are; they've failed to beat Ipswich and Everton, with performances also increasingly a concern.

"It is clear Cooper had been trying to implement the style he wants and make the changes he believed were necessary to improve things - but there was understood to be resistance from and a disconnect with the players.

"This is said to have increased concerns internally over Premier League safety, while it was also evident there had been a lack of connection between Cooper and the fans since he took charge in the summer.

"After promotion, Leicester spent less in the summer transfer market than the other two promoted teams and lost a key player in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea.

"Their highest spend was around £20m on Oliver Skipp, while they brought in Bobby Decordova-Reid on a free transfer and two players on loan from other Premier League clubs.

"The club have acted swiftly in comparison to the 2022/23 season, in which they parted ways with Brendan Rodgers as late as April and replaced him with Dean Smith - before ultimately being relegated."

Leicester's upcoming Premier League fixtures

Brentford (A) - Saturday, kick-off 3pm
West Ham (H) - December 3, kick-off 8.15pm
Brighton (H) - December 8, kick-off 2pm
Newcastle (A) - December 14, kick-off 3pm
Wolves (H) - December 22, kick-off 2pm

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