Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a perfect start to life in the Leicester City dugout and eagled-eyed supporters will have noticed a familiar Man Utd face alongside him.
Van Nistelrooy was appointed Steve Cooper’s replacement at the King Power Stadium, with the Foxes impressed by his recent five-game interim stint at Man Utd — in which he beat Leicester twice.
The Dutchman’s first game in charge resulted in a 3-1 home win over West Ham United. The Foxes made the perfect start with Jamie Vardy scoring after just two minutes, while Bilal El Khannous and Patson Daka finished the job before Niclas Fullkrug’s late consultation strike.
Sharp-eyed supporters have spotted a familiar face in the dugout alongside Van Nistelrooy in the form of Jelle ten Rouwelaar.
? Jelle ten Rouwelaar is our new GK Coach ? pic.twitter.com/GKzL1JpFxF
— FosseHub (@FosseHub) December 4, 2024
Van Nistelrooy hasn’t formally named his technical staff yet, but Van Rouwelaar was in the dugout and in active conversation with the manager during Tuesday’s win over West Ham.
Van Rouwelaar was brought to Manchester United by Erik ten Hag in July alongside Van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake and Andreas Georgson.
Ruud van Nistelrooy making immediate Leicester impact
Scorer of Tuesday’s second goal Khannous — who also assisted Vardy’s opener — is already signing the praises of Van Nistelrooy, who needed just one training session with his new players to get his message across,” El Khannous said (via Leicester’s official website).
“The way they wanted to play, we knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but we put in a lot of intensity from the start and we scored in the second minute, so we showed what we are: this is Leicester City.”
Leicester‘s triumph on Tuesday — ending a six-game winless streak across all competitions — sees them 16th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone.
Up next for the Foxes is a home tie against high-flying Brighton on Sunday.
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