Former Chelsea man Chris Sutton has predicted Ruud van Nistelrooy will conclude his interim Manchester United managerial spell on a winning note. In his weekly BBC column, Sutton backed the Dutchman’s team to come away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Leicester City.
Ruud van Nistelrooy Has Enjoyed an Interim Managerial Run
Nistelrooy, who returned to Manchester United as Erik ten Hag’s assistant at the start of the 2024-25 season, has done an excellent job as interim manager. Stepping up following Ten Hag’s dismissal on October 28, Nistelrooy has overseen three matches so far, guiding the Red Devils to two wins and a draw.
In his first game in charge, Nistelrooy faced Leicester City in the Carabao Cup. Having made plenty of changes to their lineup for the match, the Foxes fell flat in the game, succumbing to a 5-2 defeat. On his Premier League debut, Nistelrooy held Enzo Maresca and his Chelsea to a 1-1 draw. Finally, in his first UEFA Europa League game as Man Utd boss, Nistelrooy oversaw a 2-0 win over PAOK, ending the club’s three-game winless run in the competition.
Chris Sutton Backs Ruud van Nistelrooy to Close Manchester United Run on a High
Manchester United will host Leicester City at Old Trafford in Nistelrooy’s final game as interim manager on November 10 — a day before Ruben Amorim officially takes the reins as permanent coach. Sutton believes Nistelrooy will close this chapter with a narrow win over Leicester.
He wrote:
“Manchester United thrashed Leicester, external in the Carabao Cup at the end of October in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first game as interim manager, but the Foxes had made nine changes from their previous league game. So I am not sure that [the] 5-2 scoreline tells us too much about what will happen here, but I do think United will win again.
“I have put United midfielder Bruno Fernandes back into my Fantasy team. I should have captained him last week, when he scored a penalty against Chelsea – my assistant [his son Ollie who is the ‘Taylor’ in their Brian Clough and Peter Taylor managerial partnership] told me to do that, but I didn’t listen.”
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
Manchester United and Leicester City have met 138 times over the years. United have won 71 games, Leicester 36, and 31 games have ended in a draw.
