Ruud van Nistelrooy tactics and past results at PSV Eindhoven as Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag

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Manchester United have finally decided to sack Erik ten Hag – with Ruud van Nistelrooy now stepping up to take charge on an interim basis.

Sunday’s 2-1 defeat against West Ham was the final straw for those inside Old Trafford, who, in fairness, showed the Dutchman a huge amount of patience after he finished eighth in the Premier League last season.

The result in east London leaves Manchester United 14th in the Premier League – having won just four out of 14 games across all competitions this season.

As aforesaid, Ruud van Nistelrooy will take the reins for now as INEOS look at replacements for Erik ten Hag, so let’s explore how the 48-year-old traditionally sets his sides up.

How Ruud van Nistelrooy managed PSV Eindhoven

The Dutchman is set to be in charge on Wednesday as Manchester United take on Leicester in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 – with many fans eager to know how the Red Devils are likely to line up.

Van Nistelrooy comes into this interim role with some managerial experience, having held the reins at PSV Eindhoven for the 2022/23 campaign and a few games either side of that season, where he won the KNVB Cup and also the Johan Cruyff Shield.

The man from Oss achieved these feats while primarily adopting a 4-3-3 formation, which would regularly switch into a 4-2-3-1 during games as the lone No.10 dropped in to form a midfield three, depending on how the match was panning out.

Therefore, the change should not be much of a shock to the system of players at Old Trafford, who were placed in a 4-2-3-1 by Ten Hag against West Ham on Sunday.

Van Nistelrooy even coached his PSV Eindhoven side to move into a more traditional 4-4-2 when needing to use a “deep block” against tougher opponents, as he explained to Coaches’ Voice on YouTube.

There have even been instances, such as the 1-1 draw against AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League back in August 2022, where PSV Eindhoven lined up with a 4-1-2-3 formation.

Therefore, Van Nistelrooy is certainly not a coach who is wedded to one style, preferring to analyse opponents on a game-by-game basis before deciding on the most sensible system to deploy.

In total, he oversaw 34 wins, eight draws and eight defeats from 50 games in charge of PSV Eindhoven, with his side scoring 127 goals and conceding 60.

Manchester United fans could now see a lot more from Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho

Whatever formation Van Nistelrooy uses, the man who scored 150 goals in 219 games for Manchester United often places strong emphasis on utilising the wide areas in any of his systems.

The likes of Cody Gakpo and Johan Bakayoko enjoyed huge success under the Dutchman in Eindhoven, with the latter scoring 28 goals and providing 20 assists in 75 appearances.

In regards to Gakpo, the Liverpool No.18 netted 13 and assisted another 17 in just 24 games under Van Nistelrooy, who Harry Kane looked up to in his childhood.

Therefore, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho could well thrive with a different Dutchman now at the helm.