July 11, (THEWILL) – Former Manchester United striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has been appointed as an assistant to manager, Erik ten Hag. The Dutch coaching team is now complete with the addition of Rene Hake in another assistant role. This move comes as part of United’s efforts to return to their former glory.
Ten Hag has extended his contract until 2026 despite United’s poor performance this season, finishing eighth in the English Premier League. He stated that now was a good time to refresh the coaching team as they aim to build on the past two years and push to the next level.
Van Nistelrooy, who scored 95 goals in 150 EPL appearances for United between 2001 and 2006, is the team’s top UEFA Champions League scorer with 35 goals. He also netted 35 goals in 70 appearances for the Netherlands. In his recent managerial role, he guided PSV Eindhoven to a second-place finish in the Eredivisie and a Dutch Cup triumph in 2022/2023.
United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth welcomed van Nistelrooy back to the club, stating that refreshing the coaching staff was an important part of strengthening all areas of the men’s first-team operations. It was therefore a pleasure for him to bring back a player who enjoyed much success at United.
It has been confirmed with this appointments that Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy have both left the Old Trafford coaching staff.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
