Man Utd legend set for surprise coaching return
Willem Leijgraf
- Updated: 26 Sept 2023 14:39 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy is being mentioned as a potential candidate for the vacant coaching position at Olympique Marseille, local daily La Provence reports.
The day before the European away match against Ajax - a crazy 3-3 draw - Marseille coach Marcelino handed in his resignation, and since then Jacques Abardonado has been doing the honours at the club from the south of France.
Marseille are currently in crisis. Due to threats from fanatical supporters, the board temporarily resigned from its duties. It was reason enough for Marcelino, who had only joined the French giants in the summer, to resign.
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In the search for a new coach, Marseille have ended up with Van Nistelrooy as a potential option, among others. After surprisingly leaving PSV in May, the former striker is still without a new employer.
Ruud to the rescue?
Just before the end of the 2022/23 Eredivisie season, Van Nistelrooy quit PSV. The coach had just previously won the TOTO KNVB Cup with the Eindhoven team and was on his way to second place in the league, but felt too little support within the club to continue as coach.
His name was subsequently mentioned in connection with the job at Leicester City, but that fell through and things went silent around the ex-Man Utd man.
In addition to Van Nistelrooy, Christophe Galtier, who managed PSG last season, is also on the shortlist at Marseille. According to RMC Sport, Olympique have already contacted the French coach, who was fired after one season in the service of the Parisians.
He had already been asked to succeed the departing Igor Tudor as coach in the summer. The names of Julien Lopetegui and Roberto Donadoni have also been mentioned as options to pull Marseille out of the doldrums.
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Last Sunday, the Ligue 1 outfit suffered an ignominious 4-0 defeat in Paris against arch-rivals PSG and they also failed to win in Amsterdam against an ailing Ajax.
According to L'Équipe, the players are starting to lose confidence in interim coach Abardonado just a few days after his appointment. That is why it is important for chairman Pablo Longoria to appoint a new manager as soon as possible.
