Manchester United star says Ruud van Nistelrooy is “obsessed” with one surprise area

One Manchester United star has said that Ruud van Nistelrooy is “obsessed” with a surprise area of his coaching.

Van Nistelrooy, 48, rejoined Manchester United in the summer to become one of Erik ten Hag’s new assistant coaches alongside Rene Hake.

The former striker scored 150 goals for the Old Trafford outfit during his five-year playing career at the club.

Many have been excited to see his impact on the squad’s forwards, such as Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho, but he is also keen on the defensive side of the game.

Jonny Evans praises Van Nistelrooy’s impact

Jonny Evans has praised the impact of Van Nistelrooy at Old Trafford and explained that the coach is “quite obsessed” with the structure defensively.

“He was a deadly striker, and for him to pass on his knowledge straight away meant he had everyone’s respect immediately,” Jonny Evans told FourFourTwo.

“Joining United is a great move for him and for the club. He seems very open and wants to improve people.

“You can see that he’s early enough in his career that he’s hungry to do well and pass on his abundance of knowledge. He’s quite obsessed with defensive structure.”

Harry Maguire agrees on Ruud van Nistelrooy

Harry Maguire also praised the Dutchman during the pre-season tour and highlighted his benefits to the squad.

“For the team, last season was a real disappointment, but we finished on a high,” Maguire said. 

“There has been a lot of positive energy after that. There have been a lot of changes within the club with the hierarchy and the staff around the manager.

“I think that will help us. Ruud is an excellent coach – you can tell that he’s addicted to football. He loves analysing the game. I’ve been really impressed by his ideas.”

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