A Manchester United legend would be prepared to take up a role under Ruud van Nistelrooy if the Leicester City manager sought him out for his services.
Ruud van Nistelrooy returned to Old Trafford last summer after he was appointed one of two assistant managers under Erik ten Hag alongside Rene Hake.
The 48-year-old Manchester United legend stepped up as interim manager at the Red Devils in the current campaign after Erik ten Hag was sacked in 2024.
Van Nistelrooy took charge of United in late October and early November 2024 and won three matches and picked up one draw during his interim managerial spell.
The former United assistant manager left Old Trafford ahead of the November international break after Ruben Amorim’s arrival from Sporting CP.
Man Utd legend on helping Van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy wasted no time returning to the dugout after he was appointed Leicester City manager last November.
The Foxes sacked manager Steve Cooper after 12 Premier League matches in 2024 and Van Nistelrooy inked a deal with the club until 2027.
Leicester City were 16th in the Premier League table at the time of Van Nistelrooy’s appointment, but the Foxes have continued to struggle in the league.
The Premier League club are now 19th and the Foxes are two points adrift from safety, with Leicester losing all five of their last five league matches.
Jaap Stam played alongside Van Nistelrooy as a player and the United legend would be ready to support his fellow Dutchman if he needed him this season.
When asked about helping Van Nistelrooy at Leicester, the former United defender immediately responded: “Yes.”
Speaking to Viaplay, Jaap Stam admitted that all the Leicester boss would need to do is “call” him and he would take up a role at the King Power Stadium.
Joking about Leicester’s current run of form, he said: “Maybe if I go into training for two weeks, I can still play a few balls.”
Stam, who is currently managing Dutch side DOS Kampen, added on a serious note: “If Ruud were to call, I would definitely do that.”
Van Nistelrooy on Leicester’s relegation battle
Leicester’s woes under Van Nistelrooy continued on Saturday after their 2-0 Premier League defeat to Fulham at the King Power Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the match, ex-United interim manager Van Nistelrooy admitted that the Foxes could fight the relegation battle up to the last day of the season.
“We want to be out of the situation come May, we also know we’re in a position with three or four teams that are close together and they are also dropping points,” he said last week.
“That makes the situation possible, but it is up to us to start collecting points. Performances are something you can build on but we are all fed up of that.
“From the first day I joined, I spoke about it going right to the last day this battle. You have hopes we could surprise and get more results to get us out of the situation early, so in that sense, it is disappointing that didn’t happen.
“There is an amount of patience required for a six-week start of a collaboration between me and the players, the club, and believe that in this path good performances will turn into points.”
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