A deep dive into Ruud van Nistelrooy's tactical setup ahead of the clash with Leicester City – Man United News and Transfer News

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Ruud van Nistelrooy will fulfill what will surely be a career dream tomorrow night when he leads Manchester United at a floodlit Old Trafford.

After Erik ten Hag was released yesterday and appointed interim, he will be the scene of numerous unforgettable experiences as a player and will have the chance to experience this feeling as a coach.

If reports are to be believed, his moment appears to be short-lived as Ruben Amorim is already close to being named the club's new permanent manager.

Van Nistelrooy joined United's coaching team in the summer but was coach at PSV Eindhoven in the 2022/23 season, winning the Johan Cruyff Shield and the KNVB Cup.

The United legend has described the influence his time as a player at United in the past has had on his coaching philosophy. Speaking to The Guardian in the summer, he said: “Sir Alex has always pushed us forward at Manchester United. Look forward, play forward, receive crosses, shoot at goal. As a player, I loved the way it made me feel. I wanted to play like that and I want to transmit that same feeling to my teams and my players.”

After no goals were scored in the Ten Hag era, United fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of more goals flying into their opponents' nets on Wednesday night.

The Athletic has taken an in-depth look at the Dutchman's tactical formation, claiming he predominantly deployed a 4-3-3 with a slow, patient build-up aimed at “hitting direct balls to the wingers”.

His PSV youth and senior teams would aim to overload the central areas to create space for the wingers and “as the ball passes the halfway line, the impetus would be for the wingers to go outwards, while the advanced full-backs “The central midfielders would go inside and help.”

“As the ball approached the final third, the attacking momentum was transferred to their talented wingers who would look to beat their opponents one-on-one.”

This was evident in the effort of current Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo, who drifted in from the left and shot.

Marcus Rashford has already praised Van Nistelrooy for his upturn in form this season and should therefore expect him to have plenty of possession under his system.

Alejandro Garnacho is used to receiving the ball and running at defenders, but one player who may get a chance to shine is fan favorite Amad Diallo.

Before Amad took the pitch in the dying embers of the game against Fenerbahce last week, he could be seen on the sidelines with Van Nistelrooy's almost apologetic arm around his shoulder for his recent lack of playing time.

Amad's trickery and intelligence on the ball could be a sought-after skill in Van Nistelrooy's system.

The use of strong full-backs should also be suitable for Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, who both have strong attacking areas and great ball security, to switch to a midfield role.

Worryingly, The Athletic points to a known issue with Van Nistelrooy's system and Ten Hag's.

“Without the ball, Van Nistelrooy's PSV mostly defended in a stubborn 4-1-4-1 formation, with Sangare in particular tasked with maintaining order before the opponents ventured too close to PSV's penalty area.” Hence It's reasonable to assume that the 48-year-old could harness Manuel Ugarte's energy to bolster the defensive line.

“Remaining defense was a problem in several parts of the season (particularly after the World Cup in Qatar) as many players were often at the front of the ball when the ball was lost. Sangare could only cover limited spaces in games and PSV tended to leave worrying counter-attack opportunities to their opponents.”

This will have frightening similarities to Ten Hags United last season, and in parts of it, such as their horror defensive performance at Porto, where there was a massive mismatch between midfield and back four.

With Amorim's appointment only looking like a matter of time, it seems likely that Van Nistelrooy will at most get tomorrow's game and the home game against Chelsea at the weekend to showcase his managerial talents.

Fleeting as it may be, it will certainly be a special moment for any turn-of-the-millennium United fan who used to watch the great goalscorer regularly attack defenses in front of an ecstatic Old Trafford.