Wolves ‘eye’ former Manchester United star as possible replacement for under pressure Gary O’Neil.
Wolves could appoint a former Manchester United man to replace Gary O’Neil.
Gary O’Neil is under increasing amounts of pressure at Wolverhampton Wanderers. As things stand, his team are 19th in the Premier League table with just six points from 11 games in England’s top flight.
As such, certain audiences believe that it is time for a change in the manager’s hotseat. One possible replacement for O’Neil is Ruud van Nistelrooy – according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, both Wolves and Leicester City are keeping an eye on the 48-year-old’s situation and could look to bring him in if they sack their respective head coached. Coventry City in the Championship have also been linked with Van Nistelrooy – however, a new development, reported by Sky Sports, indicates that the Sky Blues will look to appoint former Chelsea and Everton head coach Frank Lampard instead. Additionally, Van Nistelrooy has indicated that he would like to manage a team in the Premier League.
Van Nistelrooy performed an admirable job under difficult circumstances during his brief stint as interim head coach of the Red Devils. He oversaw four games in his tenure, winning three and drawing one – he did not lose a single game at the Manchester United helm. Of course, the Dutchman is still very inexperienced in senior team management. To take on such a difficult job would be a monumental task for Van Nistelrooy – and Wolves may opt to pick someone up who has spent more time as a first team head coach.
Furthermore, this may all be a moot point – while Wolves have had a difficult season, their recent form is much healthier than their position in the table may suggest. They have not lost in their last three league games – Wolves’ last Premier League defeat came under controversial circumstances, when they were beaten by reigning champions Manchester City.
Upon his departure from United, Van Nistelrooy issued a heartfelt farewell message to the fans on his social media: “To everyone at Manchester United Football Club, in particular the backroom staff, the players and the fans. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible efforts and support. It has been a privilege and honour to represent the club as a player, coach and manager, and I will always cherish the memories we have shared together.
“M.U.F.C will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope there are many more glory days at Old Trafford very soon – not only because I want the club to do well, but because you all deserve it! All the best and take care, Ruud.”
As a player, Van Nistelrooy is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers and most clinical finishers of all time. He played for PSV, Hamburg and Real Madrid over the course of his career, but he is best known for his time at Manchester United. All in all, he scored 95 Premier League goals for the Red Devils in 150 appearances. In addition to this, he also won 70 caps for The Netherlands, scoring 35 goals on the international stage.
