RUUD VAN NISTELROOY SACK HINT DROPPED AS LEICESTER EYE NEXT MANAGER

Leicester are eyeing up Liam Rosenior as a potential replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy, it has been claimed. Van Nistelrooy has found himself under pressure after a dismal Premier League run left the Foxes nine points from Premier League safety with nine games remaining.

Van Nistelrooy took charge in December after a brief spell in caretaker charge at Manchester United. He won his first game at home to West Ham, but his side have taken just four points from 15 games since.

Rosenior, who led Hull City to a seventh-place finish in the Championship last season, is now in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg. The 40-year-old has his team sat just outside the European qualification spots, already earning more points than they won in the entirety of last season.

According to L'Equipe (via the Derby Telegraph), Leicester and Southampton have both been keeping tabs on Rosenior - though their is said to be no immediate threat if the two clubs go down. Ivan Juric's Saints are already all but assured of relegation, and the Croatian is reportedly set to be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

The same report indicates there is no immediate appetite to dismiss Van Nistelrooy while survival remains a mathematical possibility. However, it remains to be seen whether he will still be at the King Power for the first game of the 2025-26 season.

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Speaking to AFP (via GFFN) this month, Rosenior was optimistic about his team's chances of qualifying for Europe. Strasbourg won the Intertoto Cup in the 90s, but have had just one European campaign - ending in the Europa League play-off round in 2019-20 - in the last 19 years.

“Why not?” Rosenior said. “We are in the world of football to dream. I will never prevent my players from dreaming. It’s not arrogance, but we are four points away from third with eight games to play. Of course, it’s possible!”

Leicester have a weekend off thanks to the FA Cup quarter-finals, and have a tough trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in midweek. Van Nistelrooy's side lost at home to Manchester United last time out, but the Dutchman pledged to keep battling against the odds as his team aims to climb the table.

"If you look at all the data and numbers of the game it was very even," he told Match of the Day after the 3-0 defeat against United. "Putting the ball in the back of the net will get you points.

""e can't and we won't give up - we will fight till the end. As I said mathematically until it's impossible, we keep going. We want to show that we can score goals, that we can get a clean sheet at this level and pick up points."

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2025-03-27T17:50:45Z