Ruud van Nistelrooy has confessed that his departure from Manchester United last month was a painful experience.

Van Nistelrooy, who returned to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s assistant in the summer, had a brief four-game stint as interim manager following his fellow countryman's dismissal in October. He left the club after Ruben Amorim took over but found himself back in work within two weeks, taking up the role of Leicester City's new boss on a contract until 2027.

The 48-year-old, who enjoyed a successful playing career with United, expressed disappointment at his premature exit. "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," he explained.

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"So I was disappointed, yeah, very much so, and it hurt I had to leave. The only job I would take as an assistant was at United because of the bond that I have with the people in the club and the fans."

However, he acknowledged understanding the new manager's perspective for a fresh start. He added: "I spoke to Ruben about it, fair enough to him, the conversation was grateful, man-to-man, person-to-person, manager-to-manager, and that helped a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks with new possibilities which of course lifted my spirits."

Now, the Dutchman faces a challenging task at the King Power Stadium, where he is charged with ensuring Leicester's Premier League survival. Van Nistelrooy, stepping into a prominent role amidst significant turnover in the management ranks, disclosed his investigative approach to getting to know the team's culture.

He emphasised mutual respect as pivotal and shared his proactive strategy. "It’s the only way you can work. It’s mutual respect," he stated.

"I also mentioned to the players yesterday that I looked at the squad and started to make phone calls about players, because in football everyone knows everyone. With two or three phone calls you hear stories about 20 players and for me it was important that you hear there are good characters there.

"That’s important, that there are good people there. I look at the players and how they play.

"I obviously don’t know them but I got general information and the individuals that they are a good bunch of people. That was important for me to get in."