Ruud van Nistelrooy reveals private talks with Man Utd rival before taking Leicester job
Leicester City have appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager, and the Dutchman has detailed how a phone call with Enzo Maresca helped him decide to take the job
by Dan Marsh · The MirrorRuud van Nistelrooy says he consulted Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca before agreeing to take the Leicester City job.
The Dutchman, 48, was confirmed as the Foxes' new manager on Friday night. He will be tasked with staving off the threat of relegation after replacing Steve Cooper, who was sacked after just 12 games in charge.
Van Nistelrooy arrives at the King Power stadium off the back of a brief stint in charge at Manchester United, who turned to their legendary former striker after parting company with Erik ten Hag. But he was given the elbow after overseeing four games by new head coach Ruben Amorim, who brought his own backroom team in from Sporting Lisbon.
Leicester have given Van Nistelrooy the chance to make a swift return to the Premier League, though - and he's revealed he sought out the opinion of Maresca during talks.
Maresca guided Leicester to the Championship title last season before joining Chelsea in the summer. And the Italian offered Van Nistelrooy plenty of encouragement in terms of taking the job on.
"When the interest came, the first one I called was Enzo. He was so positive about it. He absolutely loved his time," Van Nistelrooy explained to lcfc.com.
"When you hear these things, it’s a club you want to be a part of. Obviously, with the interest coming, I phoned him and I asked him more detailed questions about the Club, the structures, the people that work there, the squad, the stadium, the fans, the town, the surroundings… it was a fantastic conversation.
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"It’s always a pleasure to talk to him."
Van Nistelrooy's talks with Maresca come in the wake of a viral video clip which appeared to show Leicester's players partying with a sign which read, “Enzo I miss you”.
The incident reportedly led to a dressing from club chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who is also said to have told the players in no uncertain terms that they had let Cooper down following his dismissal.
The former Nottingham Forest boss won just three of his 12 matches at the helm after being installed as Maresca's successor. Leicester are 16th in the table ahead of this weekend's meeting with Brentford.
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