Ruud Van Nistelrooy Set To Replace Steve Cooper As Leicester City’s New Head Coach

Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to take over as the new manager of Leicester City.

The 48-year-old Dutchman will step in to replace Steve Cooper, who was dismissed after just 157 days following Leicester’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League last Saturday.

Van Nistelrooy’s appointment comes shortly after leaving his interim head coach role at Manchester United.

He had stepped in following Erik ten Hag’s departure, managing three wins and a draw during his brief tenure.

However, he left when informed he would not be part of incoming manager Ruben Amorim’s coaching staff.

Interestingly, two of Van Nistelrooy’s recent victories came against Leicester, including a dominant 5-2 win in the Carabao Cup and a 3-0 league triumph earlier this month.

The former Manchester United and Netherlands striker joins Leicester City as they sit precariously in 16th place in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone after 12 games.

Cooper, who replaced Enzo Maresca in the summer, managed only two league wins before being let go. Maresca had left Leicester to join Chelsea.

Van Nistelrooy’s previous full-time managerial experience came with PSV Eindhoven during the 2022-23 season, where he led the team to a Dutch Cup victory. He later joined Manchester United as an assistant coach in July.

Leicester’s next match is against Brentford on Saturday, but given the short turnaround, it’s unlikely Van Nistelrooy will take charge immediately.

Caretaker manager Ben Dawson, a member of Cooper’s coaching staff, is expected to oversee the team for this game.

Running Van Nistelrooy will also face the challenge of uniting a squad that struggled to embrace Cooper’s strategies.

While senior players like Jamie Vardy supported Steve Cooper, he failed to gain the full trust of the entire team.

KanyiDaily recalls that Ruud van Nistelrooy was appointed as interim manager after Erik Ten Hag was sacked as head coach.