Ruud van Nistelrooy will be continuing his spell as Manchester United’s caretaker coach when the Red Devils prepare for a tough test against Chelsea in the English Premier League today at Old Trafford.
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This is after the United legend was requested to step up following the sacking of manager and fellow Dutch compatriot Erik ten Hag on Monday morning after an unsatisfactory start to the season. Ten Hag’s final straw was when they lost 2-1 to West Ham last weekend.
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Van Nistelrooy is expected to hold the fort until 11 November, after the club finalised the appointment of Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon on Friday.
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Inside what was Ten Hag’s third season at Old Trafford, United have been blowing hot and cold and struggling for consistency in all competitions, which has brought about frustration and perturbation amongst the United fan base.
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They currently languish deep in the bottom half of the table on number 14 with 11 points
after nine games – winning one out of their last five outings in the league.
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As one would expect, the Chelsea game promises to be a far tougher test for Man United, as the Blues have been impressive and grinding results under Enzo Maresca.
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Chelsea currently sit in position five with 17 points after the same number of games as United.
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Even so, Van Nistelrooy and co will be going into the encounter with their tails up after the midweek Carabao Cup fixtures. United won their game in style in a seven-goal thriller, when they thumped Leicester City 5-2, while Chelsea were undone by Newcastle, who beat them 2-0 on Wednesday.
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Another interesting factor in the fixture will be the return of Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford dressed in blue after being sent out on a season-long loan to Chelsea.
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It was Ten Hag’s decision to send the skilful 24-year-old winger out on loan following their fallout a season ago.
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The stakes will be high for both teams, as three points and pride will be on the line
come tonight.
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The game is scheduled to get underway at 6:30pm.
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