Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho ensured Ruud van Nistelrooy ended his interim tenure on a high with the 3-0 win vs Leicester City.
Ruud van Nistelrooy finishes with a winning record of 75%, the highest of any manager post-Sir Alex Ferguson after winning three of his four games.
Ruben Amorim will now take over a team that has found a wave of momentum, instead of one slumbering around in the depths of despair.
Van Nistelrooy has made a remarkable impact in a short time over many players’ futures, as the likes of Manuel Ugarte and Amad can attest to.
However, against Leicester, it was another player, flying under the radar, who completed a career turnaround at Old Trafford with a statement performance.
Matthijs de Ligt’s man-mountain display
It was only a month ago that the scrutiny on Matthijs de Ligt was intense as he walked his way from one error to another, crucified by domestic as well as international press.
His nightmare displays for the Netherlands didn’t help and his performances for a struggling United side only made things worse.
The fact that he was always going to be bunched with one of “Erik ten Hag’s boys” killed any narrative favour he could have garnered.
It is ironic, then, that some of his best performances have come after Ten Hag’s sacking and De Ligt’s game against Leicester City was a big exclamation mark on his turnaround.
The front-foot defending that makes the attackers feel small and irrelevant is back. It made him one of the most gifted defenders of his generation and once indecision gave way, this version of De Ligt emerged.
A better team system allows him to work in smaller spaces and dominate duels. Against Leicester, he had three headed clearances and seven recoveries, showing his prowess in the traditional defensive sense.
He added to it by completing 93% of his 58 passes, with five of those coming into the final third as well.
More than the raw stats, it is startling to see the confidence with which he’s playing now. After the game, De Ligt sent a warning to the rest of the league.
De Ligt’s warning to the Premier League
Speaking after the game, De Ligt was quick to credit the manager for the improved team spirit and the general confidence of the team in the last four games.
He said he can see the ‘will to win and survive’ in the team now which makes him more confident, finishing with the claim that he’s getting into his rhythm now.
He said: “The spirit of the team is so important. It makes you more confident, and more able to take risks, and with risks, the reward comes. I see that now in the team, the will to win and survive.
“When you come to a new team, it’s a little adjustment period. Nobody from the outside gives you this time so it’s not a excuse. Nous [Noussair Mazraoui] and I have a good rhythm of games now. I am starting to feel really good, getting in my rhythm.”
A fit and in-form De Ligt will be crucial to United’s system under Amorim if he shifts to 3-4-3 with the Dutchman in the middle of that defence.
Signs are good for the new man to take over with his potential talisman finally feeling good.
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