Ruud Van Nistelooy was chatting to some early arrivals before walking into the King Power Stadium ahead of his first game in charge.

The new Leicester boss has made an impressive first impression around the club and victory over West Ham on Tuesday would give the fans the same positive feeling.

The Dutchman said at his opening news conference on Monday he was not a romantic and would not compromise victory for style. After five defeats in eight games – including Saturday’s poor 4-1 loss at Brentford – the hosts would take a scrappy win.

Van Nistelrooy has had just two days to prepare, taking training for the first time on Sunday after a debrief from caretaker Ben Dawson, so if the Foxes are disjointed there will be reasons for that.

But he wants to play in a similar way to friend and former Leicester boss Enzo Maresca, who he played with at Malaga.

He joked on Monday it meant there would be less work to do as the players would know what he wanted from them, something which predecessor Steve Cooper struggled to convey.

The former Manchester United striker won five titles in three countries during his playing career which demands instant respect but the initial judgements have already started as he enters full-time Premier League management.