Burnley 'interested' in recent Man Utd exit as Leeds United's Championship rivals linked with major change
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Leeds United could be set to face an old foe later this season with the emergence of Ruud van Nistelrooy as a candidate for two Championship manager jobs.
Van Nistelrooy left previous club Manchester United earlier this week following the appointment of Ruben Amorim as head coach, with the Portuguese boss opting to bring his own backroom staff in. The former striker had worked under Erik ten Hag as assistant manager before succeeding his compatriot, who was sacked last month.
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Hide AdThat interim spell lasted just four games but Manchester United went unbeaten under Van Nistelrooy and an impressive body of prior work has caught the eye of clubs eyeing a possible change. Somewhat surprisingly, one of them is a major promotion rival for Leeds, with the Sun reporting on interest from Burnley.
They claim Van Nistelrooy was among the candidates to succeed Vincent Kompany at Turf Moor over the summer, before taking the job as Ten Hag’s assistant and effectively ruling himself out of the running. Burnley instead went for Scott Parker but after a lightning start to the season, frustration is growing inside the fanbase.
Burnley are fourth in the table and just two points behind Leeds, but underlying statistics suggest they are somewhat fortunate to be that high and recent performances have left a lot to be desired. The Clarets needed an added-time penalty to beat Swansea City 1-0 on Sunday and avoid a fourth straight game without scoring.
Those in charge at Turf Moor could reportedly ‘revisit’ their interest in Van Nistelrooy if there is no marked improvement under Parker, albeit the report does add that owner Alan Pace has been patient and is unlikely to rush anything. But that is not to rule out a Championship gig for the recently-departed Manchester United caretaker boss, who has also been linked with Coventry City.
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Hide AdThe Sky Blues are without a permanent manager after sacking Mark Robins earlier this month, with seven defeats in their opening 14 games leaving them 17th at the time. They have been heavily linked with another former Premier League star, Frank Lampard, who remains the hot favourite.
The ex-Chelsea man has been out of work for over a year, having endured a torrid spell as interim boss at Stamford Bridge before making way for Mauricio Pochettino last summer. Coventry owner Doug King recently confirmed the 46-year-old is being considered, adding that he has received ‘a huge amount of CVs from high quality people’.
But since leaving Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy has shot up the bookies odds and is currently 10/1, placing behind only Lampard (1/2) and current interim England boss Lee Carsley (11/4). Rhyss Carr is currently in temporary charge at the CBS Arena but club chiefs are expected to progress their hunt for a more permanent option during this international break.
Leeds have hosted both Burnley and Coventry at Elland Road already, losing 1-0 against the former somewhat unfortunately before a comfortable 3-0 win over the latter. Daniel Farke’s side are due at Turf Moor in January before a trip to the CBS Arena in February.