Manchester United legend to leave, as changes continue at Old Trafford: report

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United and Ruud van Nistelrooy the interim head coach / manager of Manchester United during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on October 30, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Fernandes and Van Nistelrooy (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United are set to see a club legend depart in the coming days or weeks, as changes continue to happen at Old Trafford.

After losing to West Ham United on Sunday, Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag less than 24 hours later. Plenty of focus has since been placed on Ruben Amorim in the intervening period, with the Sporting Lisbon manager expected to replace Ten Hag within the next month, depending on negotiations over contracts.

Amorim's arrival will likely spell the end of one Manchester United legend's time at the club, however, though supporters would have seen it coming.

Manchester United legend facing exit door

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Manchester United Head Coach Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates a team goal during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Old Trafford on October 30, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Will Palmer/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Van Nistelrooy expects to leave (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to the i, Ruud van Nistelrooy expects to leave the club when Ruben Amorim is appointed as the new Manchester United manager.

The Dutchman is currently in charge of the club on an interim basis, taking over following the dismissal of Ten Hag at the beginning of the week. Van Nistelrooy oversaw a 5-2 victory over Leicester City in the League Cup on Wednesday night, and looks set to still be in the Old Trafford dugout as Manchester United host Chelsea on Sunday in Premier League action - potentially even for another month, should Sporting refuse to release Amorim early.

When the 39-year-old does eventually arrive at Manchester United along with his backroom staff and coaches, Van Nistelrooy is expected to step aside despite only having returned to the club in the summer. The 48-year-old became Ten Hag's assistant at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, but his compatriot's sacking means his time at the club will be cut short, too.

Liverpool and West Ham target Ruben Amorim is said to have been snubbed as he chooses Manchester United

Ruben Amorim is set to take over (Image credit: Getty Images)

Van Nistelrooy spent five successful years at Manchester United during his playing career, scoring 150 goals in 219 games in all competitions while also winning the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. His contribution in that period saw him ranked at no.31 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League players of all time.

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After retiring from professional football, he then moved into coaching, taking charge of youth teams at PSV as well as assisting Louis van Gaal at the 2014 World Cup for the Netherlands. He spent 18 months in charge of the PSV first team between 2022 and 2023, too.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, it makes sense that Van Nistelrooy would depart the club once Amorim is officially appointed. The Portuguese boss will naturally want to bring in his own backroom staff, while Van Nistelrooy would also want to pursue other opportunities after getting the taste of management again - albeit as an interim boss.

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.