Where Erik ten Hag was awkward and stiff, Ruud van Nistelrooy thrived: IAN HERBERT on the interim who burned his Man United bridges...
but is now bringing the electricity back Van Nistelrooy burned his Man United bridges after falling out with Ferguson He is now back as interim manager and has won over the Old Trafford fans LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! , available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday By Ian Herbert Published: 03:24 EDT, 31 October 2024 | Updated: 03:24 EDT, 31 October 2024 e-mail View comments The low chant of ‘Ruud’ sounded out across Old Trafford and the man in question stood in front of the Stretford End, arms aloft, discovering the swansong that had always been denied him. It was fitting that the League Cup should have provided it.
The night of October 30, 2024, allowed Ruud van Nistelrooy to erase the memory of February 26, 2006, when his absence from what was then the Carling Cup final – amid his escalating dispute with Sir Alex Ferguson - signalled the end of an extraordinary five years at the club. Back then, van Nistelrooy had felt United were stagnating and would win nothing – as Ferguson later told it – with young players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney . When Ferguson informed him that he would not be appearing from the bench in that final against Wigan Athletic in Cardiff , he exploded and insulted him.
‘That was the end of him, Ferguson wrote in his memoir. ‘I knew we would never get h.
