Manchester United have made major changes around Erik ten Hag this summer and Ruud van Nistelrooy already seems to be making an impact.
Winning the FA Cup final at least allowed Manchester United to end the season on a high.
Eighth place in the Premier League just isn’t good enough though and Erik ten Hag simply has to improve this term.
Ineos have backed Ten Hag but have also overseen major changes to the Dutchman’s coaching staff.
Benni McCarthy has gone and Mitchell van der Gaag has followed, leaving United to freshen up the staff around Ten Hag.
Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake both joined the staff, leaving Ten Hag ‘delighted’ before announcing the arrival of Jelle ten Rouwelaar as his new goalkeeping coach.
Tom Heaton on Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy’s return to the club grabbed the most attention and generated the most excitement from supporters.
The Dutchman smashed 150 goals in 219 appearances for United during his playing days, becoming a hero at Old Trafford.
Van Nistelrooy moved into coaching with PSV Eindhoven and managed the club during the 2022-23 season.
After taking a year out of the game, Van Nistelrooy snubbed the Burnley job in order to join United’s coaching staff.
A goalscoring master as a player, Van Nistelrooy will now take on a vital role alongside Ten Hag and fans will hope to see him stay at the club for a long time.
Rio Ferdinand has praised Van Nistelrooy’s return and goalkeeper Tom Heaton has now joined in.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Heaton has praised Van Nistelrooy has simply the ‘best finisher’ he has witnessed across his lengthy career.
Heaton added that Van Nistelrooy has been ‘brilliant’ as a coach, praising his level of detail as ‘outstanding’.
Heaton accepts that some may believe that Van Nistelrooy is only back at United for sentimental reasons, but he is proving that he deserves to be there as a coach.
“I’ve come up against quite a few players in my time and he’s the best finisher I’ve ever seen,” said Heaton. “It was so good to see him back at the club, I have to say.”
“He’s been brilliant. His level of detail is superb. You’d be forgiven for thinking: ‘He’s a United legend coming in, is he just a face for it?’ But his level of detail – I’ve been in a couple of meetings – has been outstanding, Rene as well,” he added.
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Coaching experience surrounds Ten Hag
McCarthy and Van der Gang both had managerial experience whilst Steve McClaren has enjoyed a lengthy career as a coach.
United’s new coaches all have managerial experience too – and there could even be more to come.
Van Nistelrooy had one season in charge of the PSV first team but cut his teeth working with the club’s young players.
Hake actually gave up a managerial job with Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles in order to reunite with former Twente colleage Ten Hag.
United have now landed Andreas Georgson too with the set-piece expert leaving his position as Lillestrom boss.
Just think about that; Van Nistelrooy turned down the chance to manage Burnley and two managers have quit their jobs to join Ten Hag.
That gives United an accomplished coaching team around Ten Hag and one more addition may be imminent.
United are reportedly targeting Michael Appleton to become something of a loan manager around the United squad.
A Salford-born boyhood United fan, Appleton was most recently in management with Charlton Athletic but could now take on a key role in terms of finding loans for young players as the changes continue.
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