Ruud van Nistelrooy discussed his “problem” with Jamie Vardy during his debut press conference as Leicester City manager.
Van Nistelrooy, who signed a contract until 2027 after succeeding Steve Cooper last week, is embarking on the second role of his managerial career. Previously, he managed PSV Eindhoven and had an interim role at Manchester United.
On Monday, the former Manchester United striker addressed questions about Vardy, Leicester’s star forward, who broke Van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record nine years ago. ..Continue Reading
During Leicester’s remarkable title-winning season, Vardy surpassed Van Nistelrooy’s milestone by scoring in 11 consecutive league matches, a record-breaking achievement.
The Dutch football legend playfully acknowledged the “issue” he now faces and shared details of his conversation with the 37-year-old English striker.
The 48-year-old said: “It’s a problem, of course, that he broke my record!
“I told him straight away ‘we have a big issue we need to get out of the way before we can even start together’.
“I think I beat him to it. Of course, back in the day I made a tweet about breaking the record and wishing him well, and then nine years later – it’s weird how things go sometimes.”
In his first presser since his Leicester appointment, Van Nistelrooy also said he was ‘astonished’ by the amount of interest in him after his brief managerial spell at United.
“I have to say there were offers there and possibilities. It’s good to have them and look and be critical on where you’re going to work,” he added.
“What happened after the games and the amount of interest, the options that all of a sudden were there for me and the options that came along, I was a little bit astonished.
“I went into conversations with Leicester because I thought, having spoken to other people, it was a great opportunity to get to know each other.
“It was a good feeling and in the end both parties felt it. That was a good reason to start working together.”
