Roy Keane gives his take on Manchester United's decision to part ways with Van Nistelrooy following Ruben Amorim's appointment
Manchester United legend Roy Keane gave his take on interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy's departure in the lead up to Ruben Amorim's arrival. He believes it was natural the Dutchman did not stay put as an assistant as the new head coach was already bringing in his own backroom staff.
Speaking on Sky Sports's Stick to Football, Keane praised Nistelrooy for doing well in the four matches he coached at Manchester United. He claimed that the plan was never for him to stay and said:
“I told you weeks ago, you didn’t listen to me! He was never staying. Of course, he wasn’t going to stay – it’s the game. He did well. He beat some teams, Leicester twice. He handled himself well, of course. He looked smart, spoke well, I'm not saying anything against that stuff, but he was never going to stay. When the new manager comes in, especially when Ruud was saying ‘I want to stay and help the club’, Ruud was never going to stay."
When Gary Neville quizzed if Amorim would have considered keeping Nistelrooy, Keane added:
"I wouldn’t have thought so. When he’s got 26 of his own staff coming in, and you don’t need Ruud, who’s obviously been part of the previous [regime], absolutely not."
Ruud van Nistelrooy won three of his four matches in all competitions at Manchester United. He drew to Chelsea in the league, beat Leicester City in the Carabao Cup and the league, and also got the Red Devils their first win in the Europa League this season by beating PAOK.
Jaap Stam on Ruud van Nistelrooy's departure from Manchester United
Manchester United great Jaap Stam spoke to Metro (via BetMGM) earlier this week and opined that the decision decision to leave was probably made by Ruud van Nistelrooy. He believes that the Dutchman would not have wanted to remain at the club as an assistant as the new manager was bringing in a big staff. He said:
"A man like Ruud, coming in as the legend he is, he needs to have a certain position within the club, where people look up to him and one where he can make a difference. Amorin will probably want to bring in his own assistants, people he has worked with over the years."
"If that happens, is Ruud becoming just another assistant, one of the coaches? Is that right position for Ruud? I don't think so, I would find that hard to believe, because Ruud has more in his locker than being just one of the coaches for Manchester United. It will be up to Ruud of course but I can't see him doing that under new management," he added.
Ruben Amorim has officially taken charge at Manchester United. His first match in charge will be against Ipswich Town on November 24.