Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is a man under pressure and some even want to see Ruud van Nistelrooy take over.
This promises to be an enormous day for Erik ten Hag.
Manchester United travel to take on Aston Villa at Villa Park and Ten Hag desperately needs a win or a strong performance at the very least.
Thursday’s 3-3 draw at Porto did little to ease the question marks surrounding Ten Hag’s future.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has remained somewhat non-committal and others managers have already been linked with taking Ten Hag’s job.
Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel are two names in the mix as Ten Hag fights to secure his Old Trafford future.
Dwight Yorke on Ruud van Nistelrooy
United may well decide to axe Ten Hag and bring in a new manager immediately.
Many fans actually want Ruud van Nistelrooy to be given a chance though following his return to the club over the summer.
The Dutchman joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff after more than a year out of the game having left PSV Eindhoven in 2023.
Van Nistelrooy is a United favourite from his playing days and some are keen to see him step up.
Another former United striker isn’t so sure about Van Nistelrooy’s return though with Dwight Yorke sharing his thoughts.
Speaking to The Mirror, Yorke suggested that there is ‘something not right’ about Van Nistelrooy returning to Old Trafford.
Yorke noted that Van Nistelrooy was a manager before and wants to be one in the future, so being a coach for Ten Hag appears to just be a stop-gap job.
Yorke compared the situation to Roy Keane at Aston Villa, believing that it’s ‘bizarre’ to have Van Nistelrooy around when there is the potential of him stepping up to take Ten Hag’s job.
“So the appointment of Ruud? Well Ruud is a manager. He was a manager, he wants to be a manager – and he’s had success,” said Yorke.
“Ruud won a cup at PSV. When I saw he went to Manchester United, I thought ‘there’s something not right with that.’
“I gave Ruud the benefit of the doubt because I know him. But when you have a name like Ruud in the background, there’s something not quite right. It’s like when Roy Keane was at Villa under Paul Lambert and Martin O’Neill. I won’t say ‘suspicious’, but there is something not right.
“I’m sure Ruud is professional, does his job. But you can’t help wondering if he would be in position to take over if Ten Hag goes. I feel like there is something in it. I find it a bit bizarre.
“I’d be interested to see if Ten Hag was sacked, will they give Ruud the interim job, or will he walk away from the job? That’s when I will really figure out what this is all about. Everyone loves United, so why would he turn it down?” he added.
Van Nistelrooy record at PSV
Van Nistelrooy took charge of PSV in 2022 having previously coached their Jong PSV side.
The 48-year-old took charge of 51 games, winning 33 of them whilst drawing 10 and losing just eight.
Van Nistelrooy also boasted 126 goals scored and 60 conceded, winning nearly 65% of his games.
There were strange circumstances around his departure though with Van Nistelrooy leaving due to a perceived lack of support from inside the club.
Van Nistelrooy seemingly didn’t feel that he had support from players or board members and decided to walk away.
Dropping Van Nistelrooy into this United situation would be a gamble but he could be the first name United look towards if Ten Hag meets his end.
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