Ruud van Nistelrooy's decision to quit club after calling out board put him back at square one

Ruud van Nistelrooy's managerial tenure at is hanging in the balance as he seeks clarity over his future. It is a strikingly similar situation to the one the Dutchman experienced at where he quit after telling players and staff he no longer felt “supported” by the club.

History could very much repeat itself for the Foxes boss, who is still whether he going into next season. ended a dismal campaign with a 2-0 loss to last weekend as they fell back into the Championship.

But current boss says he is unable to plan for next season in the second tier and make signings because he hasn’t had a conversation with the board about the club’s plans. The 48-year-old said recently that whether he remains in charge “depends on how the conversations go”.

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And when quizzed about his plans for the upcoming season, Van Nistelrooy confessed: “I still have to wait at least to have a conversation on a future together or not. Before that, you cannot start planning. I need to speak to be able to get a feeling on hopes. It’s all dependent on that.”

Van Nistelrooy’s state of limbo has fuelled speculation that he may be replaced by Russell Martin, formerly of as the Foxes look for a manager with a prior history of clinching promotion to the Premier League.

Van Nistelrooy has endured a disastrous tenure since replacing Steve Cooper at the King Power Stadium in late November, which saw their relegation to the Championship confirmed in April.

The Foxes were one point clear of the relegation zone at the time of his appointment but a dreadful run of form followed, which saw them lose a whopping 16 games from 18 played between December and February.

And it’s not the first time Van Nistelrooy has found himself at odds with club bosses. The legend quit his old job as PSV boss in May 2023 over a lack of support from the Dutch giants just a year after taking charge of the senior side.

It came as somewhat of a surprise, given that he'd won a Johan Cruyff Shield and a TOTO KNVB Beker, while also looking set to finish in second place in the Eredivisie.

PSV at the time alluded to his falling out with the board, releasing a statement, which read: "Van Nistelrooy told the first-team squad and coaching staff that he would be stepping down with immediate effect, due to a lack of support within the club.

"PSV regrets his decision and is grateful to him for winning the Johan Cruijff Shield and the Dutch Cup, and hopes to finish the season in second place."

Van Nistelrooy’s next job came when he was appointed as Erik ten Hag's assistant ahead of the 2024/25 season. After a poor start to the campaign led to Ten Hag's dismissal, Van Nistelrooy took over in an interim capacity.

The former Netherlands striker, however, was left feeling "disappointed" and "hurt" after being told to pack his bags by United's incoming boss, Ruben Amorim, who brought his own backroom team with him.

Meanwhile, Van Nistelrooy’s potential successor, Martin, was sacked by the Saints in December and just 16 games into the season, having overseen an astonishing 13 defeats. Martin has also been touted for the vacant managerial position at Rangers.

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