After leaving Manchester United at the end of his interim spell in charge while the club awaited the arrival of Rúben Amorim, Ruud van Nistelrooy was given a new opportunity as manager by Leicester City. With the aim of escaping the relegation zone, management believed that the former PSV Eindhoven manager's tactical knowledge and experience at United would be enough to fulfil the mission without too much difficulty.
However, Leicester were deeply mistaken in thinking that the coaching staff was the club's worst problem, betting that a change of manager would be fundamental to the recovery of the season. Under Ruud van Nistelrooy, the team have lost 11 of their last 12 Premier League games.
After the 4-0 defeat at home to Brentford, two of Ruud van Nistelrooy's assistants (Ben Dawson and Danny Alcock) were sacked when the team was only five points above the relegation zone. This game was also significant in that it represented the sixth straight home defeat without scoring, a Premier League record.
The start of the job in November looked very promising after the departure of Steve Cooper, but his short stint at United didn't prove enough for his second job as head coach, with PSV as his only stint. Despite trying to defend his work in press conferences, Van Nistelrooy hasn't managed to improve his performance, which has been much criticized by the fans. Especially for leaving Jamie Vardy too isolated from his attacking partners, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Facundo Buonanotte.
Fewest Premier League points won since Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester
Team | PTS |
|---|---|
Wolves | 13 |
Ipswich | 9 |
Leicester | 7 |
Southampton | 5 |
However, as seen above, what really explains the drop in performance is the fewer points scored (7pts) in 14 games than under the former manager, who scored 10pts in 12 matches. Leicester's lack of results and performances this season cast doubt on director of football Jon Ruskin's £80 million investment.