Ruud van Nistelrooy: Former Man Utd star leaves PSV Eindhoven - PSV record as West Ham links explained

A club statement has announced that the PSV Eindhoven coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has left his role before the final game of the season due to a “lack of support within the club.”

PSV had said talks about the former Manchester United player’s future were set for Sunday but the 46-year-old subsequently resigned before any talks took place.

The club said; “Van Nistelrooy told the first-team squad and coaching staff that he would be stepping down with immediate effect, due to a lack of support within the club. PSV regrets his decision and is grateful to him.”

The assistant coach, Fred Rutten, will temporarily take over. The Dutchman will now be looking for a new job and PaddyPower has put the former United legend at 50/1 to join Premier League side West Ham next season.

PSV will face AZ Alkmaar this weekend and must secure a win if they are to reach next season’s Champions League season. They currently sit second, ten points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord and three points ahead of Ajax.

Who is Ruud van Nistelrooy?

Van Nistelrooy, 46, started his career in 1993 with Den Bosch, before moving to Heerenveen and PSV Eindhoven. In 2001, the striker then moved to the Premier League where he spent five seasons with Manchester United - a time for which he is arguably best known.

In 2004, he was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world’s greatest living players and has been the top scorer in three separate UEFA Champions League seasons. He scored 150 goals in 219 games for United, where he won the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup and FA community Shield.

Following his time at Old Trafford, van Nistelrooy moved to Real Madrid and although an injury affected his time with the La Liga side, he won the league twice and the Supercopa de Espana once before joining Hamburger SV and eventually Malaga.

He has represented the Netherlands on 70 occasions, scoring 35 goals and was part of the Euro 2004 and 2008 squads as well as the 2006 World cup squad.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s managerial record

Van Nistelrooy started his coaching career with the PSV under-17s. He then joined Guus Hiddink with the international squad following the 2014 World Cup. The former striker then became the new manager of the PSV under-19s in 2018 and in March 2022 he was appointed as the replacement for the outgoing Roger Schmidt as PSV’s head coach.

In his first almost-full season, Van Nistelrooy won the 2023 Johan Cruyff Shield and 2022-23 KNVB Cup. PSV currently sit second in the league and must win their final game of the season if they are to secure a place in next year’s Champions League tournament.

In his 51 matches in charge of PSV, van Nistelrooy won 33 of them, giving him a 64.71% win rating. Odds are now suggesting that the Manchester United legend could takeover at West Ham, who recently knocked AZ Alkmaar out of the Europa Conference League, but as there are yet not signs David Moyes is leaving London - especially since the squad reached their first European final - the odds seem slightly farfetched.