Manchester United’s interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has unexpectedly revealed that he has yet to make contact with the club’s incoming permanent head coach, Ruben Amorim.
Van Nistelrooy was appointed on a temporary basis after Erik ten Hag was dismissed in late October. The former striker had only rejoined United as part of the coaching staff over the summer and is set to hand over the reins to Amorim when the Portuguese manager leaves Sporting CP to take charge on November 11.
Although United reached an agreement with Amorim on November 1, Van Nistelrooy confirmed that there had been no communication with the incoming coach as of yet.
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“I haven’t had contact so far,” Van Nistelrooy told the media ahead of United’s Europa League match with PAOK on Thursday. “Nothing has changed in that regard. I don’t know when it will happen. It’s difficult to comment on it now. I’m waiting for the conversations to take place.”
Despite the uncertainty, Van Nistelrooy emphasized his commitment to United’s ongoing work and fixtures, including the upcoming European match and a Premier League clash with Leicester City on Sunday.
“For now, the most important thing is to focus on the job at hand, especially with these upcoming games,” he said. “We have a European game against the Greek champions, and I feel a responsibility to perform well this week. I welcome Ruben, I’m happy to help him, and that’s the situation for the moment.”
Van Nistelrooy also expressed his desire to remain part of United’s coaching staff when Amorim takes over, though Amorim is expected to bring several members of his backroom team from Sporting, which may affect Van Nistelrooy’s future role.
“I’m focused on getting results, especially with two vital games ahead. I’m doing everything I can to help the new manager by achieving positive results,” he added. “Last week, before the Leicester game, things changed quickly, and managing that was more challenging. But now things have settled down, and we can focus on improving our performances.”