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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Former Manchester United forward Ruud van Nistelrooy is in line to take the head coach role at Premier League strugglers Leicester City, sources have told ESPN.
Talks between Leicester and Van Nistelrooy, who has also been linked with Hamburg, are ongoing but there is increasing positivity that a deal will be agreed for the Dutchman to succeed Steve Cooper at the King Power Stadium.
Cooper was sacked on Sunday, a day after the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea which left Leicester 16th in the Premier League and just a point above the relegation places.
Cooper only lasted 15 games in the role after replacing Enzo Maresca in the summer following the Italian’s departure to take charge at Chelsea.
Van Nistelrooy, who managed PSV Eindhoven for a year between 2022 and 2023, enjoyed a short spell as United’s interim head coach following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag and the arrival of Ruben Amorim.
Coincidentally, two of Van Nistelrooy’s games in charge were against Leicester. The first was a 5-2 win in the Carabao Cup and the second was a 3-0 victory in the league. Leicester’s next game is against Brentford on Saturday.
Van Nistelrooy spent five successful seasons as a player at Old Trafford, scoring 150 goals in 219 games. He returned to the club in the summer as assistant to Ten Hag along with Rene Hake following the departures of Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy.