Ruud van Nistelrooy: The Manchester United icon aspires to become the permanent manager in the future after assisting Ruben Amorim.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed his desire to one day take the reins at Manchester United on a permanent basis. However, he remains content in his current role as assistant coach under new manager Ruben Amorim.

The former United striker made a return to Old Trafford this summer, joining Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff. Following Ten Hag’s dismissal on October 28, Van Nistelrooy stepped into the interim managerial role. He will lead the team for a fourth and final time this Sunday when United face Leicester City in the Premier League.

Under Van Nistelrooy’s stewardship, the Red Devils have enjoyed a promising run, securing two victories and a draw. Notably, they achieved a 2-0 win over Greek champions PAOK in the Europa League, marking the club’s first European victory in over a year.

When asked during a press conference if he harboured ambitions to manage the club where he enjoyed so much success as a player, Van Nistelrooy replied, “Yeah, of course. I thought this through well when I made the decision to come to United as an assistant manager or assistant coach. I knew that coming to Manchester United was a special occasion for me, and I wanted to be part of this journey in an assistant role.”

He continued, “I had clear ambitions to manage. I made the decision to sign a two-year deal as an assistant, and I’m still in that frame of mind to stay in that capacity.”

Van Nistelrooy’s brief tenure has sparked discussions among pundits, including TNT Sports expert and former United midfielder Paul Scholes, who have called for him to take on a head coach role once more.

“I called it an important period because I think it was crucial to navigate these four games as well as we could,” Van Nistelrooy stated. “I think we’ve done very well so far. The players have reacted positively in the games. The focus now is to build on that and show it on Sunday, with a big game ahead and a massive three points at stake.”

As for the emotional weight of his final match in charge, Van Nistelrooy said, “I don’t know if it will be very emotional. I take it very pragmatically as well, although I am proud to be able to fulfil this role. We’ll see how I feel on Sunday.”

His contract with the club runs until 2026, but uncertainty looms over his future in Manchester, as Amorim is expected to bring in his own coaching staff from Sporting Lisbon.

Sunday’s clash could serve as Van Nistelrooy’s second farewell, should Amorim opt to restructure the coaching team when he officially begins on Monday. The Portuguese manager will have nearly two weeks to prepare for his first match against Ipswich, although he will be unable to work with many first-team players who will be away on international duty during that time.