Van Nistelrooy: ‘Immediate’ Leicester City sack update
Ruud van Nistelrooy is under growing pressure at Leicester City following a dismal run of form since his arrival as Steve Cooper’s replacement in November.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that all blame for the Foxes’ struggles will be pinned on the manager.
He explained that Van Nistelrooy’s departure is not likely to be immediate, but failure to show improvements in the coming week will make his future untenable.
Following his appointment as manager, Brown told Football Insider that Van Nistelrooy would face “major problems” at Leicester, who are “leading candidates” for relegation.
Since then, the boss has won just three of his 16 games in charge, with one of those victories coming against Championship strugglers QPR in the FA Cup third round.
During that spell, his side have conceded a massive 40 goals, including four at home to Brentford last time out, and have conceded two or more in all but two.
Ruud van Nistelrooy likely to be sacked before relegation
Brown warned Football Insider that Leicester could sack Van Nistelrooy before the end of the season following their 4-0 defeat to Everton on 1 February.
Now, the former scout who was instrumental in bringing Van Nistelrooy to England with Man United in 2001 and has a wealth of experience working closely with elite managers, insisted that the boss may feel hard done by, but should not be surprised.
“Yes, I think Ruud is under pressure at Leicester to keep his job immediately,” he told Football Insider.
“Unfortunately, it’s the manager that ultimately takes the blame for the team’s struggles rather than the players who aren’t good enough for this level.
“The centre-backs and defenders especially are not good enough, and they can’t keep relying on Jamie Vardy to lead the line.
“Why do you think Enzo Maresca jumped ship as soon as he could?
“There are other players in that side who are Championship players at best.
“So the manager takes the flack, unfairly at times, but ultimately results haven’t been good enough.
“They concede too many goals, don’t pick up enough points, and they’re in the relegation zone, so you put all that together and the manager usually gets the sack.
“I don’t see any reason it would be different for Ruud, but I also don’t see any other manager doing a better job with the players he’s got available to him.
“They’ve really underlined how big the jump from the Championship to the Premier League is.”
Leicester fans to turn on board after Ruud van Nistelrooy latest
Amid growing pressure on the manager’s position at the King Power, large sections of the supporters have aimed their frustrations upwards at the board.
Director of football John Rudkin and CEO Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha have been heavily criticised by the supporters with calls for changes to be made at the top.
In the wake of a 4-0 defeat to Everton earlier this month, Leicester fans slammed their owners in defence of Van Nistelrooy, encouraging the boss to walk away.
This came as a result of a lack of investment in the January transfer window given the difficult financial situation the club have got themselves into.
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