Matthijs de Ligt sends surprise Ruben Amorim message about ‘really valuable’ Ruud van Nistelrooy after Man United decision

Matthijs de Ligt sends surprise Ruben Amorim message about ‘really valuable’ Ruud van Nistelrooy after Man United decision

Matthijs de Ligt wants Ruben Amorim to keep Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United when he becomes manager tomorrow.

Determining van Nistelrooy’s fate will be among Amorim’s first priorities when he arrives in Manchester to take over at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy finished his brief stint as temporary manager with three victories and a tie after defeating Leicester 3-0 in his fourth and final game as United’s interim manager.

De Ligt claims that because he was a standout striker for United from 2001 to 2006, his fellow Dutchman is familiar with the team.

In what may have been his last act, he became emotional as he thanked the Stretford finish and vanished down the players’ tunnel while the United supporters sang his name toward the finish at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy was brought back to Old Trafford by Erik ten Hag as his assistant in the summer and de Ligt says he has made a big impact in his few months as a coach at Old Trafford. Although Amorim has insisted on bringing his own team with him from Sporting Lisbon, de Ligt hopes the Portuguese will find a role for van Nistelrooy.

“Yeah, I can only speak of my experience and I think he was really valuable as an assistant,” said de Ligt. “As a manager, he knows the club. Obviously he knows what gets asked for with certain players, together with the crowd also.

“So yeah in my opinion, but in the end it’s the decision of the manager.”

De Ligt feels ten Hag was unlucky with results and feels United should have beaten West Ham, instead of losing in the defeat which cost him his job.

“I don’t think Ruud changed so much,” said The Netherlands defender. “The difference was with Eric, we had games that we played really well in, like West Ham away, with eight 200 per cent chances and we didn’t score.

“I mean, the Leicester game, in the first game, we got five goals. Five goals that are like a shot from 30 meters, that back pass, a free-kick in the wall.

“Sometimes in football, it’s quite strange because sometimes luck takes over. And I think, obviously it’s a big compliment to Ruud, but also I think for Eric, it wasn’t that something big changed, it’s just that the momentum changed.

“And if the momentum changes, everybody gets more confident and you start to win games, it’s as simple as that.”