Leicester title-winner reacts as fans rage at Van Nistelrooy move vs Fulham
Leicester fans were vocal in their anger towards manager Ruud van Nistelrooy during their loss to Fulham, after he took off who Marc Albrighton thought was arguably their best player.
The Foxes were trailing 2-0 and had been completely outmatched during the game when the manager chose to bring on Kasey McAteer for Bilal El Khannous in the 64th minute.
That decision was met by jeers of derision from the home fans, who were clearly unhappy to see the talented Moroccan be replaced.
Leicester had shown no real threat of beating a Fulham side, who were looking to make up for a 3-2 loss to West Ham (14 January), but El Khannous had been the Foxes best player up to that point.
Former Leicester title-winner, Albrighton, had this to say live on NowTV (4.24pm): “Not a great reaction to that substitution I must say. It did feel like El Khannous was the one player that was trying to lift the team.
“He was putting in tackles and trying to make the ball work. Ruud van Nistelrooy has obviously seen something that he wanted to change, he’s made his decision but it did not go down well with the Leicester fans.”
Leicester at risk of an immediate return to the Championship
Football Insider Verdict
The decision to sack Steve Cooper in favour of appointing Van Nistelrooy was a questionable one at the time, now it is clear that the Leicester hierarchy made a huge mistake.
At the time of his sacking, Cooper had Leicester above the relegation zone, and despite his more pragmatic style of play, they were getting results.
The first game in charge under the Dutchman was a promising win over West Ham 3-1 (3 December), followed by a 2-2 draw with Brighton (8 December). Since then, Leicester have lost every league match and the result against Fulham means they have lost seven Premier League games in a row.
Van Nistelrooy had gained plaudits as a coach and was put in charge of Man United briefly, until the appointment of Ruben Amorim, but he is glaringly out of his depth in a relegation battle.
The reaction to the El Khannous substitution, and the reaction at full-time (Leicester were booed off), shows that the former Real Madrid striker has lost the fan’s support, and with results continuing the way they are, he could be at risk of losing the board’s backing.
If Leicester are to have any hope of remaining a Premier League side, they must make signings in the January transfer window, and Woyo Coulibaly is the first player to sign for the Midlands side.
There have also been links to current Chelsea, and former Foxes midfielder, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who would add some much needed quality in their midfield.
In other news, there has been a major update on Leicester’s January plans.
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