Man United’s XI in final Ruud van Nistelrooy match before Ruben Amorim’s arrival

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It has been exactly one year since Ruud van Nistelrooy ended his Manchester United interim spell on a high note.

When Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United manager, it was Ruud van Nistelrooy who stepped up as interim. The legendary Dutch striker took charge of four games while the appointment of Ruben Amorim was confirmed.

Van Nistelrooy boasts a 75% win rate as United interim, and he ended his tenure with a dominant 3-0 victory over Leicester City.

Just a few weeks later, Van Nistelrooy joined Leicester as manager, although his stint at the King Power Stadium was short-lived.

In the year that followed Van Nistelrooy’s final match with United, there have been some interesting changes to the starting XI.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s final Man Utd starting XI

Van Nistelrooy picked up two wins over Leicester as United’s interim, as well as a 2-0 win over PAOK and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

He stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation used by Ten Hag at United, and his final line-up includes three players who are no longer at the club.

Andre Onana, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund were all named in Van Nistelrooy’s final starting line-up but left the club this summer under Amorim.

Christian Eriksen, Alejandro Garnacho and Jonny Evans also made an appearance off the bench and are now no longer on the books at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho were both on the scoresheet for United in the 3-0 win, scoring either side of a Victor Kristiansen own goal.

Ruud van Nistelrooy snubbed after sacking

Van Nistelrooy’s success as United’s interim manager caught the attention of other clubs, and he wasted no time getting back into management at Leicester City.

The former United striker unfortunately suffered relegation in 2024/25 and was sacked by The Foxes.

In September, Van Nistelrooy was linked with FC Twente and a return to the Eredivisie, but he was ultimately snubbed in favour of John van den Brom.

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Amorim chose not to hire Van Nistelrooy as part of his backroom staff as he wanted the former striker to explore managerial vacancies.

The 49-year-old is currently without a managerial role, but continues to be linked with vacancies.