Van Nistelrooy to PSV: How Man Utd's superstars have performed as managers
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 30 Mar 2022 10:07 BST
- 5 min read
Ruud van Nistelrooy is set for his first step into senior club management, with PSV poised to appoint him as head coach at the end of the season when Roger Schmidt leaves.
The Dutchman has been part of the coaching roster at PSV since 2013, when he was in charge of the Under-17s.
He would subsequently become boss of the Under-19s and then Jong PSV, the reserve side of the senior team.
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Eindhovens Dagblad reports that PSV are going to promote Van Nistelrooy from within the club to lead the club in 2022/23.
The formerly prolific striker is one of a number of Manchester United players from around his era to take the leap into club management, and his former team-mates have had contrasting degrees of success taking the big job at various different clubs.
Let's see how some of the major names have performed.
Wayne Rooney - Derby
Wayne Rooney is currently doing a fine job at Derby County as he desperately attempts to guide the club free of relegation from the Championship, despite a major points deduction earlier in the campaign.
A recent poor run has seen the club drop to rock bottom of the table again, so relegation seems likely, but Rooney will probably be picked up by another club.
He was asked to interview for the Everton job in January but turned it down, and has expressed a desire to return to Man Utd as manager one day.
Gary Neville - Valencia
In one of the most bizarre and ill-fated managerial appointments of all time, Sky Sports pundit and England assistant Gary Neville was given the Valencia job by business partner Peter Lim.
The decision was met with negativity from the media as Neville couldn't speak Spanish, while he had no experience as a manager.
Under Neville, Valencia won just three of 16 matches and failed to keep a single clean sheet, while the worst moment of his tenure came in an embarrassing 7-1 defeat against Barcelona.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Molde, Man Utd, Cardiff
Man Utd are still paying the price for giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the job on a permanent basis. This was, after all, the same Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer who suffered relegation with Cardiff City.
The Norwegian won two leagues with Molde and was asked to take over Man Utd on a caretaker basis before being given the job permanently.
He failed to win a single trophy in his time at the club and was criticised for his lack of tactical prowess compared to the Premier League's top coaches.
Solskjaer's performance in the transfer market was also questioned, no more so after splurging over €140 million on Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Roy Keane - Sunderland, Ipswich
Generally considered to be the greatest leader in Premier League history, it seemed natural that Roy Keane would make the step into management sooner or later.
Sunderland were his first club, joining them in 2006. It proved to be a fabulous first season as he took them to a Championship title and promotion, while they survived in their first season back in the Premier League.
Cracks began to show in the 2007/08 season as he did not enjoy a good relationship with the players due to his harsh style - or indeed with senior figures at the club. He resigned in December of 2008 with a 42% win ratio.
He subsequently took charge of Ipswich, but never really took the club in contention for promotion, while they were as low as 21st.
Keane has had subsequent periods as assistant manager to Martin O'Neill at Ireland and Nottingham Forest.
Jaap Stam - Zwolle, Reading, Feyenoord, FC Cincinnati, Jong Ajax
Jaap Stam was considered one of the best defenders of his generation while at Man Utd, Lazio and Milan, and has took his talents to the dugout of various clubs.
He had periods with FC Zwolle as a caretaker and then took over Jong Ajax before making his way to England with Reading.
In his first season with the club, he guided them to the play-offs, but would leave the next campaign after a horrendous run of one win in 18 games.
He would join Zwolle again before Feyenoord, but left the latter after a crushing 4-0 defeat against arch rivals Ajax.
Stam would move to Major League Soccer with FC Cincinnati, but left them second-bottom of the Eastern Conference after four wins in 25.
Laurent Blanc - Bordeaux, France, PSG, Al-Rayyan
Laurent Blanc was hugely successful in his first job in management, initially taking Bordeaux to second in Ligue 1 before winning the title next year after a French record run of 11 victories in a row. In the Champions League, the French sided topped a group which included Bayern and Juventus.
He would then take over France, but could only manage the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 with Les Bleus.
The riches of Paris Saint-Germain came calling next, as well as a flurry of trophy wins. He owns three Ligue 1 titles, two Coupe de France titles and three Coupe de la Ligue titles.
His last job was an unsuccessful period at Qatar side Al-Rayyan.
