Ruud van Nistelrooy can prove Man Utd team-mate wrong over Leicester City's David Moyes decision
Ruud van Nistelrooy will aim to prove to former Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes that Leicester City were right to take a gamble on him as manager.
Van Nistelrooy takes his City side to fellow relegation battlers Everton on Saturday afternoon, looking for another three points to back up the win at Tottenham. The Toffees have pulled away from the bottom four slightly after successive victories under returning boss David Moyes, but City will hope to haul them back in.
If van Nistelrooy does lead City to another win, it will boost the club’s survival hopes and go some way to proving Scholes wrong. The former England midfielder believed City would have had a better chance of staying up had they appointed Moyes instead of van Nistelrooy.
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It’s understood that Moyes was asked if he was interested in the City job after they sacked Steve Cooper. Graham Potter was also consulted, the former Chelsea boss now in charge at West Ham.
City opted for a manager in van Nistelrooy who had not had a permanent Premier League managerial job before. It’s a career Scholes never expected for the Dutchman.
Asked if he was saw van Nistelrooy as manager material, Scholes said on The Overlap: “No, probably not. I think Leicester took a bit of a gamble on him really. 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. 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. If Leicester had employed David Moyes, you think 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 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, and Ruud just hasn’t yet got that history to say that he’s going to get you out of it.”
City currently sit one point outside the drop zone. While they travel to Everton this weekend, 18th-placed Wolves host Aston Villa, while 19th-placed Ipswich welcome bottom side Southampton to Portman Road.
