Van Nistelrooy: During the team talk, I told the players what Manchester United was about; why do fans sing these songs

Manchester United interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy was asked if he ever thought he would be in this position in his career.

Dutch, former United The player, who left the club in 2006 after a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson, has been Erik ten Hag’s assistant this season.

After Ten Hag lost his job on Monday, Van Nistelrooy he was tasked with managing the team until a permanent successor was hired.

He said this week: “I didn’t think about managing at the time. “I left in 2006, a long time ago, for Real Madrid to perform, to play and to get the most out of myself as a player.” .

“After that you start thinking about coaching. But it was special for me to come back to this club and this city that I loved, I loved so much and still love, and I love it. I love being in Manchester and I love working with the players and staff here. There weren’t many people there when I played, but there were still a couple. I see familiar faces. About the same number of people of that time.”

He added about his closeness with the club: “It’s the other side of a player, coach or assistant. These are completely opposite sides. My team is talking, I stand in front of the team and tell them what Manchester United are doing. about what it means to play at Old Trafford. Tell them what songs fans sing and why.

“So you try to convey that feeling, that great feeling of playing for this club. It’s a proud moment to share that with the players, to talk about what they conveyed on the field and how they interacted with the fans. And for me it was incredible support and it just encouraged me to do my best, especially in the short term, for Chelsea.