Premier League side Leicester City has appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager until June 2027.
The 48-year-old succeeds Steve Cooper, who was sacked following the club’s 2-1 home defeat against Chelsea last Saturday but will not take charge of Leicester’s trip to face Brentford on Saturday as Ben Dawson will be in the dugout.
“I’m proud, I’m excited. Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic,” he said. “They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the Club, the supporters and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive. I’m excited to start and to get to know everyone and give everything I can for the football club.”
The 48-year-old arrives at Leicester shortly after taking interim charge of four Manchester United games following Erik ten Hag’s sacking. He won three of those four matches — two of those against Cooper’s Leicester — and drew the other 1-1 at home against Chelsea.
It is his first permanent managerial job since leaving PSV Eindhoven at the end of the 2022-23 season, when he cited a lack of support from the Dutch club’s hierarchy. Van Nistelrooy joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff at Old Trafford at the beginning of this season but was not kept on by new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter and David Moyes, most recently of West Ham United, were ruled out before the club moved for Van Nistelrooy, who did not cost any compensation.
His first game in charge of the team will be against West Ham United on Tuesday evening.
