Ruud van Nistelrooy showed his importance to Erik ten Hag during Manchester United’s training session on Wednesday ahead of the Europa League clash against Porto.
The 48-year-old Manchester United legend returned to the Premier League club after he took up a key role in Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff.
Ruud van Nistelrooy and former Go Ahead Eagles boss Rene Hake were appointed assistant managers to United head coach Ten Hag in the summer.
Despite his welcomed return to Old Trafford, Van Nistelrooy has watched the Red Devils endure a turbulent start to the 2024-25 Premier League season.
United have only won twice in six Premier League matches, with Ten Hag facing fierce criticism over the Red Devils’ lacklustre campaign.
Ten Hag was dealt a further blow on Sunday after Tottenham humiliated 10-man United in a 3-0 Premier League win at Old Trafford.
Van Nistelrooy in Man Utd training
Erik ten Hag has turned his attention to Thursday for Manchester United’s trip to Portugal for their encounter with Porto in the Europa League.
The Red Devils kicked off their Europa League campaign last week, but United dropped points in a 1-1 draw against FC Twente at Old Trafford.
The under-fire Ten Hag will be keen for United to bounce back after a disappointing week in the Europa League and in the Premier League.
United players took part in training on Tuesday and Ruud van Nistelrooy was spotted with the players ahead of the clash at the Estadio do Dragao.
Footage of Van Nistelrooy was posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and Red Devils fans praised the Dutchman for his involvement in training.
The former United striker was spotted getting stuck in training drills and fans were in awe at the Red Devils legend not losing his touch with his passing.
Van Nistelrooy also earned high praise for building morale among the United players after the crushing defeat to Tottenham on the weekend.
Ten Hag on dealing with Man Utd pressure
Speaking after the Spurs defeat, Ten Hag revealed how he has dealt with the pressure of being United manager amid growing speculation over his future.
“When you are managing Manchester United, you know everyone will judge you much more than any other club,” he told Sky Sports.
“You have to deal with criticism and don’t make a big deal from it and focus on the things where you are appointed to. That is managing the team, getting the best out of the team.
“Don’t focus on negative opinions on you as a person. That doesn’t help the process and I’m here to win so I have to show my team that I give the direction and keep going in that direction we want to go.”
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