Leicester City have officially appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager.
The former PSV Eindhoven boss succeeds Steve Cooper, who was dismissed last weekend after just 12 Premier League matches in charge of the Foxes.
Van Nistelrooy has signed a contract that runs until June 2027 at the King Power Stadium. His appointment follows his recent departure from Manchester United, where he served as interim head coach until Ruben Amorim’s arrival two weeks ago.
“I’m proud, I’m excited,” Van Nistelrooy, 48, said.
“Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City 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.”
Leicester are 16th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone, and go to Brentford on Saturday.
First-team coach Ben Dawson will take charge of the side in west London before Van Nistelrooy leads the Foxes for the first time against West Ham at home on 3 December.
Van Nistelrooy oversaw three wins and one draw during his four-game stint in charge at United, with two of the victories coming against Leicester in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
The Dutchman’s only previous role in senior management was with former club PSV Eindhoven, who he led to second place in the Eredivisie in 2022-23.
Van Nistelrooy left PSV before the end of that season, citing a “lack of support within the club”.
After a year away from management, Ruud van Nistelrooy joined Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff at Manchester United this past summer. Prior to that, he had discussions with Burnley about potentially replacing Vincent Kompany at Turf Moor at the end of last season.
Van Nistelrooy expressed that Manchester United was the only club he would consider joining as an assistant manager, reflecting his deep connection to the club where he scored 150 goals in 219 appearances during a five-year stint before moving to Real Madrid in 2006.
Meanwhile, Steve Cooper was dismissed by Leicester City after just 157 days in charge.
Leicester City chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, added: “Ruud’s experience, knowledge, and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us.
“We look forward to supporting him in achieving success for our fans and our club.”