Ruud van Nistelrooy has proven to be a capable pair of hands during his spell as interim manager at Manchester United.
Manchester United would have preferred there not be a need for a ‘Ruud van Nistelrooy era’ at the club, nobody wishes to have to appoint an interim manager.
Yet the Dutchman stepped into the breach effectively after Erik ten Hag’s sacking, managing Manchester United for four matches.
He has registered three wins and one draw, and strengthened his own managerial credentials, he is a big winner from his interim stint.
Now let’s take a look a the winners and losers from Van Nistelrooy’s spell, among the playing squad.
Winners
Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United’s captain Bruno Fernandes had failed to score during the 12 games he played under Erik ten Hag.
Fernandes found his goalscoring boots under Ruud van Nistelrooy, scoring four goals in four games.
He also added two assists during this time, seven for the season in total, and Fernandes is now playing with a smile on his face again.
Fernandes is the player who makes United tick, and seeing him happy and confident again is a real joy and relief.
Manuel Ugarte – Ruud van Nistelrooy put his faith in new signing Manuel Ugarte, selecting him to start all four matches, and he played 90 minutes in two of them.
Ugarte is showing what he is about, working well alongside Casemiro, who is unlucky not to feature on this list himself.
The Uruguayan will be a key player under Ruben Amorim, and after a slow start at Old Trafford, Ruud van Nistelrooy has got him ready, and looking like a top Premier League player.
Amad Diallo – Amad has forced his way into the Manchester United starting line-up, getting a chance against PAOK and seizing it.
Amad ends with two goals and one assist from his last two games, showing an ability to influence games and make magic happen in the final third.
United still have a dilemma to balance the game time for Amad, Rashford and Garnacho, yet in the final weeks under Erik ten Hag, it had been very uneven.
Ten Hag had farcically selected Noussair Mazraoui ahead of him against Fenerbahce. This looks even more like a sackable offence now.
Losers
Rasmus Hojlund – If there is one failure from Ruud van Nistelrooy’s spell in charge, it has been his inability to get Rasmus Hojlund scoring.
The Dane was selected to start three matches, and failed to net in all four appearances, rarely coming close.
Hojlund does not look like a threat right now, and Ruben Amorim will have to work wonders to get him to the required level.
Antony – Antony may be breathing a sigh of relief the Ruud van Nistelrooy era is over, and that he has another fresh start.
The Brazilian will have to hope Ruben Amorim takes more of a liking to him, with the Dutchman making his feelings pretty clear.
Antony was not selected to play a single minute for United under Van Nistelrooy, leaving him with an uphill battle to climb.
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