Alan Shearer believes one Manchester United man is one of the best finishers in Premier League history.
Manchester United have had some seriously top strikers over the years. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Andy Cole are just a few of the greatest-ever forwards to grace the Old Trafford turf.
They were all unbelievable assets over the years who scored goals for fun. Something the current Manchester United first-team squad is currently starved of.
A striker United could seriously do with is Ruud van Nistelrooy. He was one of the Premier League‘s best-ever forwards.
Alan Shearer on Ruud van Nistelrooy
Speaking on the Match Of The Day Top 10’s, Micah Richards, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker all sat down to speak about the best ‘first season stars’ in Premier League history.
This was based on players coming over to the Premier League, or breaking through to a first team and making a phenomenal instant impact.
A man who made his way onto that list was former Manchester United forward Ruud van Nistelrooy. Both Richards and Shearer put van Nistelrooy at 9th but had high praise for the legendary Dutch forward.
“One of the best finishers we’ve seen in Premier League history,” begins Shearer.
“He was an out-and-out goalscorer. Positional wise, superb. I think it was, what, £19m from PSV? Didn’t win the title in his first season, but he was an outstanding goalscorer.”
Shearer’s justification was that Manchester United didn’t win the league that season, which definitely contributed to the placement.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first Manchester United season
Van Nistelrooy’s inaugural season at Manchester United, during the 2001-2002 campaign, was electric.
He was signed from PSV Eindhoven for a then club-record fee, with high expectations from fans. He seamlessly adapted to the rigours of the Premier League and quickly became a key player and deadly striker for the Red Devils.
Van Nistelrooy’s goal-scoring prowess was on full display as he notched an impressive 23 goals in 32 league appearances, finishing as the Premier League’s top scorer in his debut season. He netted 36 goals in all competitions.
The highlight of his first season came in a memorable Champions League encounter against Boavista, where he scored a crucial goal to secure United’s place in the knockout stages.
The Dutchman’s ease of integration into Sir Alex Ferguson‘s side played a pivotal role in United’s challenge for the Premier League title that season, even though they fell short to Arsenal.
Remarkably, things got even better for Ruud. He netted 44 times to inspire United to the Premier League title the following year. Another 30 goals followed in his third season.
A prolific goalscorer and undoubtedly one of the best finishers to play in the club’s history.
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