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 eagle-eyed supporters will have noticed a familiar Man Utd face alongside him.
Van Nistelrooy has been named as Steve Cooper’s replacement at the King Power Stadium, with the Foxes having impressed in their recent five-game interim spell in Man Utd — in which they beat Leicester twice.
The Dutchman’s first game in charge resulted in a 3-1 home win over West Ham United. The Foxes got off to the perfect start with Jamie Vardy scoring after just two minutes, while Bilal El Khanous and Patson Daka finished the job before Niclas Fullkrug’s late consultation strike.
Keen-eyed fans have spotted a familiar face in the dugout alongside Van Nistelrooy in the form of Jelle ten Rouwelaar.
? Is Jelle ten Rouwelaar our new GK coach? pic.twitter.com/GKzL1JpFxF
— FosseHub (@FosseHub) December 4, 2024
Van Nistelrooy has yet to formally name his coaching staff, but Van Rouwelaar was in the dugout and actively chatting with the manager during Tuesday’s win over West Ham.
Van Rouwelaar was brought to Manchester United by Erik ten Hag in July along with Van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake and Andreas Georgson.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has an immediate impact at Leicester
The scorer of Tuesday’s second goal, Khaannous, who also assisted Vardy’s opener, is already signing the praises of Van Nistelrooy, who only needed one training session with his new players to get his message across.” El Khanous said (via Official Leicester website).
“The way they wanted to play, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but we put a lot of intensity from the start and scored in the second minute, so we showed what we are – that’s Leicester City.”
LeicesterTuesday’s win, which ends a six-match winless run in all competitions, leaves them 16th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone.
Next up for the Foxes on Sunday is a home draw against Brighton, who are looking to fly high.
