Leicester ‘moved for European trophy-winning manager before Van Nistelrooy’
Ruud van Nistelrooy is expected to take over at Leicester but the club first approached David Moyes about their vacant managerial role, The Daily Mail have reported.
The Foxes sacked Steve Cooper on Sunday (24th November), with the Dutchman now expected to be appointed as his successor following his interim spell back at Man United.
It is now reported that prior to settling on the former Netherlands striker, last season’s Championship title winners had approached Moyes about taking over the role.
The Scot’s proven track record of keeping clubs in the Premier League had apparently seen him emerge as an immediate candidate in the eyes of Leicester owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
Moyes has been out of work since leaving West Ham – who he guided to the 2022/23 Europa Conference League title – at the end of last season, and is now expected to be in the running frequently as other jobs become available.
David Moyes would have been a solid appointment for Leicester
Football Insider Opinion
There may be some of a Foxes persuasion who will feel they have missed out by not appointing Moyes as their side’s new manager.
The 61-year-old has a strong CV in the Premier League, where he rescued the Hammers from relegation twice before taking them into successive European campaigns, after a respected period in charge of Everton, even if his time at Manchester United and Sunderland respectively was not so successful.
He therefore might have been an ideal option for Leicester to turn things around, who will surely be prioritising avoiding the drop after promotion at the end of last season under Enzo Maresca.
Given he also then went even further with West Ham with that success in Europe, there may also be some who feel they may have missed out on more progress further down the line as well.
It would be interesting to know exactly why the appointment of Moyes did not materialise, and he may have been conscious of warnings about the relationship between the owner and squad at the club.
In contrast to the former Toffees and Hammers boss, van Nistelrooy has no experience of Premier League management beyond his recent interim spell with Man United, although that was relatively encouraging.
This appointment could therefore be seen as a riskier for Leicester, and they may live to regret not getting Moyes if it does not work out.
In other news, a claim has emerged about how much compensation Leicester will have to pay to Steve Cooper.
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