Ruud van Nistelrooy admits it 'hurt' to leave Man Utd

Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted that it "hurt" to leave Manchester United but insists he "understands" why there wasn’t a place for him in new coach Ruben Amorim's staff.

Van Nistelrooy was brought back to Old Trafford as an assistant coach during the summer, 18 years after he departed as a player, and wound up taking over as interim manager when Erik ten Hag was dismissed at the end of October.

The former striker, who scored 150 goals in five seasons between 2001 and 2006, was given an incredible reception as he got underway against Leicester City and that affection from supporters was clear throughout four successive Old Trafford games.

Van Nistelrooy remained in a degree of limbo when Amorim was appointed but hadn't started work. Yet with the Portuguese coach bringing new ideas and five staff with him from Sporting CP, the decision was made to leave the club only a few months after returning.

"The moment I took over the interim job what I said was I'm here to help United and to stay to help United, and I meant it. So I was disappointed, very much so, and it hurt I had to leave," Van Nistelrooy said as he addressed the media as Leicester boss for the first time this week.

"In the end I got my head round it because I also understand the new manager. I'm in football long enough and I've managed myself. I understand.

"I spoke to Ruben about it, fair enough to him, the conversation was grateful, man to man, person to person, manager to manager. That helped [me] a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks with new possibilities which of course lifted my spirits."

Now as he prepares to start a fresh chapter in charge of Leicester, Van Nistelrooy may have been, ironically, partly responsible for the job being open in the first place. Two of Steve Cooper's final four games with the club were heavy defeats against Van Nistelrooy's United.

He also revealed surprise at the level of the response to just four games as interim manager, apparently inundated with interest and approaches far and above what he had previously experienced during his successful coaching career.

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