Ahead of the new season, optimism is the common feeling of Man United fans when witnessing the team making positive changes. For the first time in many years, MU has been so decisive in its transfer policy. In addition, Old Trafford is also planning to upgrade its infrastructure or build a new one to be worthy of the club's stature.
The appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag is considered a breakthrough decision by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The appearance of the famous Dutch player helps the team overcome last season's problems and pass on Sir Alex Ferguson's legacy to the "Red Devils" players at the present time.
“At Manchester United, Sir Alex always pushed us forward. You must always look forward, direct the ball towards the opponent's goal, cross the ball and do everything possible to hit the target. When I was a player, I always liked that way of playing, so I always wanted to transmit that philosophy to the players" - Van Nistelrooy shared with The Coaches Voice.
Besides, the 48-year-old former player also emphasized that the most important thing that helps Sir Alex Ferguson achieve success is maintaining relationships with each player on a personal level. This helps the team have connection and confidence to maximize each person's abilities.
According to Sky Sports, Van Nistelrooy is the idol of many Man United players at the moment. This helps the famous Dutch player become a bridge and create solidarity within the team, avoiding conflicts like the case of Ten Hag with Cristiano Ronaldo or Jadon Sancho. Even Van Nistelrooy's words and decisions sometimes have more weight and influence than Ten Hag.
Goal revealed that class and past experience helped Van Nistelrooy receive respect from Man United strikers. Although he only had 1 Premier League title during his 5 years with the "Red Devils", his record of 150 goals/219 matches proved that Van Gol is one of the greatest goalscorers.
That's why the famous player born in 1976 promises to help the team improve its goal output. Last season, Man United recorded a poor performance in this regard, they were the team that scored the fewest goals in the top half of the Premier League rankings (57 goals).
According to The Athletic, Van Nistelrooy is tasked with exploiting the full potential of the strikers in attack, especially the duo of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Hojlund experienced a relatively difficult first Premier League season, with 16 goals in all competitions. Meanwhile, Zirkzee only has 13 goals in Serie A after 2 years with Bologna.
Besides, Van Nistelrooy's experience promises to help Marcus Rashford revive strongly after the poor 2023-2024 season. Goal revealed that the Dutch assistant had a private talk to help "Doctor" change his thinking about playing football and how to approach the opponent's goal. This was absorbed by Rashford and demonstrated by a convincing performance with 1 goal and 1 assist in the friendly match against Real Betis.
Not only that, Van Nistelrooy also brings a new perspective to Man United's defenders, helping the defenders grasp the habits and ways of the opposing strikers' movements.
"After leaving Man United, Van Nistelrooy went to Malaga and worked under Manuel Pellegrini - a coach famous for his tough defensive tactics. The experiences of working in Spain helped us learn a lot about how to prevent opposing strikers from scoring" - Jonny Evans shared with The Guardian.
