Leicester Moyes regret: Van Nistelrooy not manager material – Scholes
Leicester City may regret not appointing David Moyes as their manager earlier this season, Paul Scholes has claimed.
Football Insider reported back in November that Moyes was open to taking on the role at the King Power Stadium following the sacking of Steve Cooper.
Ultimately though no appointment was made, and the Scot has since returned to former club Everton, who like the Foxes are currently battling to stay in the Premier League.
Leicester meanwhile appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager, his first permanent managerial role in England.
The Dutchman had previously managed for two years in his home country with PSV, and also had a four-game stint as interim Man United manager earlier this season.
It has been a tough start to life with Leicester for the 48-year-old. Prior to victory over Tottenham on Sunday (26 January) a run of seven straight league defeats had already left him under pressure.
Now, his former Red Devils teammate Scholes, has questioned whether that is enough experience for him to keep the club in the Premier League when compared to Moyes, while speaking on The Overlap.
Asked if he ever saw Van Nistelrooy as management material when in the dressing room with him at Man United, Scholes said: “No probably not. I think Leicester took a bit of a gamble on him really didn’t they.
“They saw what happened in three or four games at Man United which was good but I’ve never really seen him as a coaching type, I know he did his little bit in Holland, and I’m not surprised it hasn’t gone as well as he probably would’ve liked because the experience just isn’t there.
“You think of Everton employing David Moyes and you think if Leicester had employed David Moyes you think yeah they’ve got half a chance of staying up.
“Now look they still might have half a chance of staying up after beating Tottenham at the weekend but it’s just that that experience and organisation it’s so vital when you come into these Premier League teams – he did it with West Ham as well David Moyes – Ruud just hasn’t yet got that history to say that he’s going to get you out of it.”
David Moyes a more solid option for Leicester
Football Insider Verdict
Given he was even able to win the Dutch Cup during his time in charge of PSV, Scholes’ assessment of Van Nistelrooy’s managerial career to date does feel harsh to some extent.
Even so, with Leicester fighting relegation from the Premier League he is in a position he has never previously been in as a manager.
As a result there is still an element of risk behind this appointment given the Dutchman is unproven in these types of situations.
Indeed, he will surely have to come up with more than a hard-fought win over a Tottenham side in disarray if he is to keep them in the top-flight.
There would have been more confidence of Leicester avoiding relegation had they appointed Moyes, given he shown in the past he is capable of succeeding in such circumstances.
So if come the end of the season he is able to keep Everton up while Van Nistelrooy and his side go down, there will no doubt be questions about the direction the Foxes took in their managerial search.
In other news, Leicester are plotting a sensational move for one of their promotion stars.
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