Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be appointed as the new manager of Leicester City.
The 48-year-old Dutchman will succeed Steve Cooper, who was dismissed after just 157 days in charge following Leicester’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
Van Nistelrooy’s appointment follows his recent departure from his interim head coach role at Manchester United, which he took on after Erik ten Hag’s exit.
During his brief tenure, he guided United to three wins and a draw but left after learning he would not be part of new manager Ruben Amorim’s staff.
Notably, two of his victories came against Leicester: a 5-2 Carabao Cup win and a 3-0 Premier League triumph earlier this month.
The former Netherlands and Manchester United striker joins the Foxes with the club sitting 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone.
Cooper, who replaced Enzo Maresca this summer after the latter joined Chelsea, managed only two Premier League wins during his tenure.
Van Nistelrooy’s only previous full-time senior managerial role was with PSV Eindhoven in the 2022-23 season, where he won the Dutch Cup. He later joined United as an assistant coach in July.
Leicester faces Brentford on Saturday, but it remains uncertain if Van Nistelrooy will be in the dugout due to the short turnaround. Caretaker manager Ben Dawson, previously part of Cooper’s staff, is expected to lead the team.
Van Nistelrooy will need to earn the trust of a squad that struggled under Cooper’s leadership.
Although some senior players, including Jamie Vardy, supported the former Nottingham Forest manager, Cooper ultimately failed to gain the full backing of the squad.