The Manchester United players would reportedly encourage Old Trafford bosses to appoint Ruud van Nistelrooy as head coach if Erik ten Hag is sacked.
The current Red Devils manager is fighting for his job after three matches without a win, compounded by Sunday’s dismal 3-0 defeat by Tottenham.
Van Nistelrooy was appointed as an assistant coach in the summer, as part of a restructure of United’s sporting department. He and fellow coach Rene Hake replaced the departed Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag, both strong Ten Hag allies.
The former United striker has already made a big impact on the squad. It is claimed that members of the dressing room would push for his appointment should the axe fall on Ten Hag over the coming weeks.
According to the Daily Star, stars would ‘welcome’ Van Nistelrooy’s appointment if a change is made, with the 48-year-old understood to be open to replacing Ten Hag. However, the report adds that United chiefs are prepared to wait until the October international break to assess the start to the season.
The Premier League club have suffered an underwhelming start to the new season despite a £200million summer splurge. Ten Hag’s side are 13th and sit only four points above the relegation zone, albeit just six matches into the campaign.
There was plenty of promise in a dominant display against Crystal Palace a little over a week ago but a frustrated United failed to find the net in a goalless draw at Selhurst Park.
A remarkable double save by Andre Onana prevented what would have been a hugely disappointing result given the Red Devils had the better of the scoring chances.
That match was followed by a below-par display in last week’s 1-1 home draw with FC Twente in the Europa League. Midfielder Christian Eriksen worryingly admitted that the Dutch side appeared to “want it more” than his team-mates, comments which infuriated United fans.
Since then, things have only grown worse. Ten-man United were dismantled by Spurs in a performance described as an “absolute disgrace” by club icon Gary Neville. Other former players have taken it in turns to lambast the state of the Old Trafford outfit, in worrying times for INEOS given their recent overhaul.
Ten Hag is reportedly unlikely to lose his job before the October international break, meaning he has at least two matches to save his premiership. Those fixtures are tough, though, with United visiting Porto in Europe this week before heading to Aston Villa on Sunday.
