Ruud van Nistelrooy makes frank admission in final pitch to Ruben Amorim to keep him at Man Utd

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Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim spell as Man Utd manager is finished but his time at Old Trafford remains under a cloud of uncertainty.

Van Nistelrooy hasn’t done anything to harm his long-term prospects and if anything, he might have done a bit too well for Ruben Amorim to keep him as an assistant in the background!

The legend, however, has made no secret of the fact that he wants to stay but is fully aware of how his spectre can loom large.

It did over Erik ten Hag and Amorim might be wary of doing the same which won’t be helped by Van Nistelrooy winning over everyone as the main man in just four games.

However, the Dutchman has made a frank admission in one final pitch to the incoming manager to strengthen his case.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s plea to Ruben Amorim

Erik ten Hag made it clear earlier in the season that Van Nistelrooy might have had United connections but he was entirely an appointment of his choosing.

That works against Van Nistelrooy, whose position is expected to receive clarity over the next day or two as Ruben Amorim arrives.

Assistant manager Rene Hake is in the most precarious position as he doesn’t even have the club legend status to back him like Van Nistelrooy.

Amorim is expected to bring a number of staff members with him to Old Trafford, including trusted Amorim assistant Carlos Fernandes.

That will directly conflict with the role Van Nistelrooy plays here but nonetheless, the interim manager made one final pitch to Amorim in his final press conference after the Leicester game-

He said: “It’s important to know your role. Knew how to support others. In my first months as assistant I did that. Both are good jobs. I appreciated the clarity from the club. The most important thing is this football club. I’m here to support it in my role. I want to continue doing that. The club told me there will be communication after four games. I expect to hear today/tomorrow from them.”

Van Nistelrooy addressed the elephant in the room

It was said when Ten Hag was struggling, even when the season hadn’t begun, that Van Nistelrooy was coming in as the “pair of safe hands”.

He didn’t do anything to calm those claims as he was often the most active member of the staff on the touchline as Ten Hag walked towards his sacking.

That, combined with his display as an interim manager simply makes him too big of a name for a young manager to come in and work with.

Amorim would be completely aware that the camera will start floating to Van Nistelrooy, armed with his 75% win record, every time the team struggles for a result.

Managing United comes with many pressures as it is that he wouldn’t want to add Van Nistelrooy’s looming shadow as another to it.

The Dutchman has laid his cards out by admitting he knows his role and “both are good jobs” in his final pitch to Amorim. The call is his now.