Manchester United picked up another win under Ruud van Nistelrooy on Sunday afternoon, beating Leicester City 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Ruud van Nistelrooy started his reign as Manchester United interim boss with a win over Leicester City and ended it in the exact same way.
United coasted to a 3-0 victory over the Foxes with Bruno Fernandes opening the scoring before a Victor Kristiansen own goal made it 2-0.
Alejandro Garnacho hit back at his critics with a superb strike with captain Fernandes moving to defend Garnacho after the game.
This was Van Nistelrooy’s final game in charge of United amid questions over his future under new boss Ruben Amorim.
United have already confirmed Amorim’s arrival as head coach but he must decide whether or not to keep Van Nistelrooy on his coaching staff.
Matthijs de Ligt sends Erik ten Hag message
United have now picked up three wins in four games under Van Nistelrooy as his time in charge comes to an end.
Yes, those wins have come against Leicester City and PAOK, but United at least have some positivity again.
United sacked Erik ten Hag in October and Van Nistelrooy has been able to inject some energy into the United squad.
United defender Matthijs de Ligt has now told The Mirror that he doesn’t think Van Nistelrooy has changed too much in his brief spell in charge.
De Ligt feels that ‘luck takes over’ at times and having been so profligate in Ten Hag’s final game in charge at West Ham United, United have seen the luck and the momentum chance a little.
De Ligt added that the wins are still a compliment to Ten Hag and his work with the United squad, believing that it’s simply a case of United’s momentum changing.
“I don’t think Ruud changed so much,” said De Ligt. “The difference was with Erik, we had games that we played really well in, like West Ham away, with eight 200 per cent chances and we didn’t score. I mean, the Leicester game, in the first game, we got five goals. Five goals that are like a shot from 30 meters, that back pass, a free-kick in the wall.
“Sometimes in football, it’s quite strange because sometimes luck takes over. And I think, obviously it’s a big compliment to Ruud, but also I think for Erik, it wasn’t that something big changed, it’s just that the momentum changed. And if the momentum changes, everybody gets more confident and you start to win games, it’s as simple as that,” he added.
Erik ten Hag returns to watch former clubs
Ten Hag is no doubt still reeling from his United exit but was spotted watching one game on Sunday afternoon.
FC Twente hosted Ajax in the Eredivisie and played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, which saw three goals scored in eight minutes.
Ten Hag was in attendance as Ajax posted a clip of him in the stands to watch two of his former clubs in action.
Ten Hag was a player and a coach at Twente before later managing United.
Another opportunity in football management won’t be too far away for Ten Hag and he will feel some sense of pride at seeing his United players getting results – even if he is no longer at the helm.
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