RUUD VAN NISTELROOY could be set for a quickfire return to football, SunSport has learned.
The Dutchman has left Old Trafford after new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim decided he did not want him as part of his coaching staff.
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That decision came despite Van Nistelrooy winning three and drawing one of his four matches as United’s interim boss.
His spell at the Red Devils, on top of his impressive season in charge of PSV, have seen his stocks rise and SunSport understands Burnley are interested.
Their managerial hunt in the summer saw both Van Nistelrooy and Scott Parker as candidates – with the Clarets appointing the latter.
The decision was taken out of their hands somewhat as Van Nistelrooy instead chose to join Man Utd as Erik ten Hag’s assistant despite holding talks to be top man at Burnley.
The allure of an Old Trafford homecoming was too much for Van Nistelrooy to turn down.
But Burnley could now look to revisit that situation if they feel they are heading in the wrong direction under Parker.
Owner Alan Pace is well-known for giving managers time, as he has done with Sean Dyche and Vincent Kompany.
So it seems unlikely he will axe Parker just yet.
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But it will certainly be at the back of his mind amid significant fan unrest.
Kicking-off their Championship campaign with 4-1 win against Luton and 5-0 win over Cardiff, Parker got off to a great start before things started to go downhill.
But across Burnley’s last 13 league games since, they’ve only managed nine goals.
A disgruntled Turf Moor could be beginning to turn on Parker despite them still sitting fourth in the table.
Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man Utd
WHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.
Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.
But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.
Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.
He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers.
The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.
And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.
Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.
Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.
United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”
And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.
For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.
