Former Manchester United striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has been appointed as Leicester City’s new manager, the club confirmed on Friday.
The 48-year-old has signed a contract running through to the end of the 2027 season, replacing Steve Cooper, who was dismissed following a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Van Nistelrooy will attend Leicester’s match against Brentford on Saturday but will officially take charge the next day.
In the meantime, first team coach Ben Dawson will manage the team for the weekend fixture.
“I’m proud, I’m excited,” Van Nistelrooy shared in a statement. “Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic. They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the club, the supporters and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive. I’m excited to start and to get to know everyone and give everything I can for the football club.”
Van Nistelrooy’s debut match as manager will be on Tuesday against West Ham.
Leicester’s chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, welcomed the Dutchman, saying, “It is my pleasure to welcome Ruud to Leicester City. He joins a club with a rich history, passionate supporters, and a talented squad, and we are all excited to see the impact he can have as we embark on this new chapter together. Ruud’s experience, knowledge, and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us, and we look forward to supporting him in achieving success for our fans and our club.”
The appointment marks Van Nistelrooy’s second senior managerial role, having previously managed PSV Eindhoven for nearly a season, winning the Dutch Cup before stepping down at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Hd briefly joined Manchester United’s coaching staff in July as an assistant to Erik ten Hag. Following Ten Hag’s sacking, Van Nistelrooy took interim charge and managed three wins and a draw in four games before Ruben Amorim was hired as the permanent replacement.
During Van Nistelrooy’s brief tenure at United, he secured two victories over Leicester — a 5-2 thrashing in the Carabao Cup and a 3-0 triumph in the Premier League.
Leicester currently sit 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone.
