Manchester United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has been speaking to the media before Sunday’s Premier League game against Chelsea (kick-off 16:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Van Nistelrooy will be taking charge of the side at Old Trafford this weekend: “I said that it was going to be a short job as an interim. That was communicated very clearly and I was happy with that. I felt that I was called upon to help the club forward in this situation.”
On what his Manchester United future looks like: “I came here to help the club forward and I’m still very motivated to do so in any capacity. After being an interim manager, I will go back to my assistant contract that I have here for this season and next.”
The former striker said his “absolute goal” is to remain at the club under the next permanent manager.
It was “difficult” and “disappointing” for him to see Erik ten Hag leave the club but he has “switched the mindset” to focus on winning games because “there are 75,000 people waiting [in the ground] and millions watching at home”.
He saw Ten Hag on Monday and spoke to him on Wednesday before facing Leicester City in the Carabao Cup. He added: “I really felt that he cared and loved the club. He wanted to bring this club forward. That is why we connected.” He also spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson who “wished him luck” before the cup game.
On the tight turnaround from the midweek fixture: “I’m just thinking about preparing the team for each game. That’s the process that I’m in. I’m in this position for the short-term, so I’m only really thinking about one thing: doing the best that we can for every game coming up. There is a big one against Chelsea now.”
Van Nistelrooy said it is “difficult” to comment on the club committing to Ten Hag in the summer, going on to spend around £200m on players and then sacking the manager two months into the season. He said it is “interesting to think about” but stated that “it happens so much in football now”.
He added: “I don’t know what the process will be and how important it is that the new manager approves of the squad. He has a decision to come or not to come when he sees the squad. It is hard for me to comment but that would be the reaction from my side.”
On whether the current squad is good enough to be pushing at the top of the Premier League: “The task is to get the maximum out of these players. This season will give us a very good and clear picture of where the club is. Everybody is convinced that, with this set of players, we can and we have to do better than we are doing at the moment.”
