I spoke to Ruud van Nistelrooy in an off-camera conversation at Carrington and this is what he said

Ruud van Nistelrooy was born in Oss, which is a small town in the south of the Netherlands.

Oss is a quiet industrial, working-class town and perhaps that explains why Van Nistelrooy feels so comfortable in Manchester, another corner of the world that has industrial heritage.

Van Nistelrooy is his home town's most famous export and is currently making national headlines following his appointment as interim manager of Manchester United this week.

The 48-year-old was one of his generation's greatest players and has the top job at the biggest club in England until Ruben Amorim's arrival from Sporting Lisbon, but he remains down to earth, approachable and hasn't seemed to have forgotten his humble beginnings back home.

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That was proven by my chance encounter with Van Nistelrooy on Thursday after he addressed the media at a press conference at Carrington ahead of facing Chelsea in the Premier League.

Van Nistelrooy was in good form during the presser, answering questions on his future, revealing he would only be an assistant manager for United and providing analysis on Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee, and he politely said goodbye to journalists as he left the room.

The Dutchman conducted external media duties for the Chelsea match after his press conference. And then our departures from the Jimmy Murphy Building fortuitously coincided.

Van Nistelrooy was standing in the doorway, chatting to the chief press officer, and held the door open for me, which I thanked him for. We then proceeded to walk toward the car park and I had the privilege of having a casual chinwag with Van Nistelrooy as we strolled.

The brief conversation began with me congratulating Van Nistelrooy on United's 5-2 victory against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup. After a turbulent few days, it was exactly what the doctor ordered and Van Nistelrooy received a special reception from each corner of Old Trafford on the night.

Loud cries of "Ruuuud," came from the Stretford End as he emerged for kick-off and an animated Van Nistelrooy looked to enjoy every minute of managing United on the touchline.

Amad's missed overhead kick against Leicester was touched upon - the chance was reminiscent of Alejandro Garnacho's against Everton - and United's press officer said he would have loved for it to have gone in. Van Nistelrooy agreed and then asked about me - when he didn't have to.

"Where are you," Van Nistelrooy curiously enquired. I explained I'm close to Manchester city centre and he revealed that he is currently residing in the city centre himself after returning to the place where he spent five years as a player to become part of Erik ten Hag's coaching staff.

Van Nistelrooy got married in 2004 and has two children. His family have lived in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, but he clearly feels part Mancunian and at ease in Manchester.

He discussed how much he enjoys living in the city and agreed he isn't short of stuff to do when he finally gets a moment away from the demanding nature of his job with United.

When asked if he'd encountered any Manchester City players near his home, as many reside in the city centre, Van Nistelrooy just shook his head. City have been the dominant team in Manchester in the last 10 years but Van Nistelrooy's trophy cabinet could rival any of their players'.

Van Nistelrooy insisted he was remaining upbeat and was adamant about exuding positive energy, and there is just a hint of grey in his hair, despite him gradually approaching 50.

A few of the journalists who were present in the United States for the pre-season tour observed that Van Nistelrooy remains in great physical shape. He clearly looks after himself and although there is an aura around Van Nistelrooy, he was incredibly warm and affable.

He didn't have to chat with me as we left the Jimmy Murphy Building. He didn't have to enquire about me. He is the interim manager of United and wouldn't have been blamed for picking up the pace and jumping into the academy building, where the first-team is currently based.

But Van Nistelrooy held the door open and took a few minutes to speak. He is understood to be hugely popular with the players and it wasn't hard to see why in the brief conversation.

The chat concluded with me wishing Van Nistelrooy good luck against Chelsea at the weekend. He said "thank you," and as we went our separate ways, he was overheard saying, "he asked a good question," in reference to my question about Zirkzee during the press conference.

I couldn't help but hope Van Nistelrooy is kept on Amorim's staff in some capacity when I got in my car.