The ex-striker conducted his pre-Chelsea presser ahead of Sunday's clash with the Blues of which we know that he will be in charge of. In fact, he will remain interim for the next three games but beyond that, whilst it is unknown what will happen, Ruud makes it clear that he would like to stay at the club in whatever capacity.
The Dutchman said that he was told by INEOS that this role will be short term and that he is "happy with that" but looking past the next three fixtures (Chelsea, PAOK, Leicester), Ruud says that he is "very motivated to stay here and help the club forward."
He speaks about having a contract with the club as an assistant for this season and next and that he is "still very motivated" to help the club in any capacity.
However, the interim boss is unsure as to what exactly his future will hold once the new manager comes in. "We have to see how things develop."
"Is he already announced or?" This was the 48-year-old's response to a question in which he was asked whether he will be speaking to Ruben Amorim ahead of the next three matches as it looks like the Portuguese will take over at United.
As he isn't confirmed, Ruud said that "don't talk to somebody that's not announced."
He confirmed that it will be his teams against Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester.
A good question he was asked was about whether the club have dug a hole for themselves after spending £200m on new players for Erik ten Hag who was then sacked 2 months later and whether the new manager will actually want some of those players.
Ruud said that while it is an interesting situation, "it is difficult to comment on that" because the club is always signing players and that it's also a combination with the manager.
He also spoke about talking to Erik ten Hag, Sir Alex Ferguson, whether this squad is capable of competing at the top, what it's like to be in the dugout at Old Trafford compared to on the pitch and if he ever thought that he would one day be managing United.
Final Thoughts
I love Ruud van Nistelrooy. He is my favorite striker of all time and feel that he sort of goes under the radar when people talk about best Premier League strikers. This causes me to lean towards wanting him to stay, similar to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He obviously wants to stay given his comments and the win over Leicester as well as the next three matches could be an audition for him to showcase that perhaps the new manager should keep him on board to some capacity once they're appointed.
I don't think it would be an entirely bad option to keep him as he is a well-respected person at United given his past, he obviously knows these players and can be a sort of intermediary between the players and manager, at least for a period. He also knows his way in front of goal and could continue on as striker coach.
But I'm at the point where if the new manager doesn't mind keeping him (or any of the other coaches), then keep him/them. If they don't want them, the club needs to move them on.
Simple.
Ruud did pretty well in his first official presser with the answers that he gave. His response to whether he will be speaking to Ruben Amorim before the next three matches was kind of what you'd expect and he didn't buckle under the pressure of a pretty blunt question so as to not give anything away.
We all know that Amorim will come in and once that announcement is made, perhaps then Ruud will talk to him. Who knows, maybe he already has 🤷♂️.
I don't think this would be a good idea because Ruud will want to make this team his team even if it is only for a short period. Amorim's style is completely different so I'm sure Ruud will want to implement his way of playing as best he can for as long as he's interim.
As for whether the new manager will want to use/keep the players signed under Erik ten Hag or indeed, any of the current squad, remains to be seen.
Amorim's style of play is very different to what we've experienced at United in well, ever. We've never seen a three at the back formation so it will be new to us all not just the players.
He will come in and assess the squad and from there, decide who is fit for 'Amorim ball' and who isn't.
Considering that some of the players have been here for a while and weren't fit for most style of plays under previous managers, I don't know whether they will be able to play how Amorim wants.
I think INEOS also knew the risk that they could back Erik ten Hag but eventually sack him and so, that money they invested (£200m) could be seen as a bit of a waste and could potentially dig a hole for themselves, but as Ruud said, you make signings regardless of the situation in the hopes that even if you do want to sack the manager, bringing in the players he wants could improve the situation.
That obviously wasn't the case and it's not as if INEOS didn't bring in good players that most managers could use. Ugarte played for Amorim at Sporting while Mazraoui and De Ligt have been great and are used to a modern style. Zirkzee may take time and nobody truly knows whether Yoro will be good enough or not as he hasn't played for the club at all thanks to injury.
The rest of the squad also has potential but for me, with t he current group of players, it's not just about the quality but more the mindset.
The mentality of our players in general simply isn't good or strong enough. That is the main issue with them in my opinion. While I don't think they're good enough to challenge for the league, they have more than enough quality to be a top 4 regular.
That obviously hasn't been the case because of how inconsistent they are which leads us to not trusting them.
We don't know which United will show up, if they show up at all.
That is not Man Utd standard regardless of their quality and ability as a footballer.
Amorim will have a lot of work to do.
Background Image: Ruud van Nistelrooy | Image credit: Getty Images via Eurosport