He becomes the fourth Sir Alex Ferguson player to take the reins at Old Trafford, following interim Ryan Giggs, former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ex-caretaker Michael Carrick. He begins his role with immediate effect.
The former United striker only has only taken charge of 50 matches as a senior manager. These all came at PSV Eindhoven, where he won the Dutch Cup and equivalent of the Community Shield during the 2022/23 season.
Having signed a three-year contract in the summer of 2022, he left in May 2023, citing a lack of board support. Van Nistelrooy recorded a 64.7 per cent win ratio at PSV, who finished second in the Eredivisie that season.
He adopted a 4-3-3 formation throughout his tenure at the Dutch club, the same system currently used by United. He lost just eight of his 50 games in charge – which included defeats to Arsenal and Rangers – and left his role amidst a 15-game unbeaten run.
The Netherlands hero – who scored 15 goals in 219 games at United – had previously managed PSV’s youth side, albeit won just 11 of his 38 matches in charge. Van Nistelrooy formerly assisted Guus Hiddink with the national team for the 2014 World Cup.
The 48-year-old returned to Old Trafford this summer after being offered a coaching role by Ten Hag, despite being in talks with clubs over a managerial position. “I was on a managerial track. I managed PSV, it was an unbelievable experience,” he said last month.
“I was in talks with clubs to manage and I love it [managing]. I had my staff all ready and then I had a phone call. I never even saw this as a possibility. Erik called me and talked it through. I started to love the idea.”
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