Ruud van Nistelrooy leaves Manchester United as Ruben Amorim shakes up backroom staff

Portuguese head coach expected to bring in his own people from previous club Sporting

Manchester United assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy has left the club after a short and successful spell as interim manager. EPA

Ruud van Nistelrooy has left his role as Manchester United assistant coach after the arrival of new boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy, 48, oversaw three wins and a draw in a morale-boosting spell as interim manager after the sacking of his countryman Erik ten Hag, but has been told he will not be part of the new regime at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman, a prolific United striker during Sir Alex Ferguson's time as manager, returned to the club in the summer to work under Ten Hag, having left Old Trafford 18 years ago to sign for Real Madrid.

He had said he was open to staying and working under Amorim but the Portuguese is bringing in his own trusted backroom staff. United also confirmed the exit of fellow coaches Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel.

Van Nistelrooy's short spell in the dugout ended with a 3-0 win over Leicester City at Old Trafford on Sunday. At the end of the game the Stretford End loudly sang Van Nistelrooy's name as he spent time saluting and thanking the fans.

United said in a statement: “Ruud is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend. We are grateful for his contribution and the way in which he has approached his role throughout his time with the club. He will always be very welcome at Old Trafford.”

Amorim is expected to bring in his own coaches from Sporting and, while his backroom staff is yet to be confirmed, he is likely to be joined by assistants Emanuel Ferro, Adelio Candido and Carlos Fernandes, the goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital and fitness coach Paulo Barreira.

Amorim, 39, landed in Manchester on Monday and immediately reported to the club’s Carrington training complex but is still awaiting visa clearance to start work.

He was permitted to visit the training ground and have meetings with the likes of chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, but is not yet cleared to begin working with the players. Amorim's visa is expected to be issued quickly and in time for him to take training once the majority of his first-team squad returns from international duty.

“It’s going to be difficult, I’m not under any illusions. But it’s what it has to be,” said Amorim in his final Sporting press conference after a thrilling 4-2 win at Braga to cement their position at the top of the Portuguese league.

Meanwhile, United defender Matthijs de Ligt, signed by Ten Hag from Bayern Munich in the summer, said it had been a difficult time at the club, but added that the players were looking forward to working with Amorim.

"It's always quite difficult in general if a manager gets sacked," said De Ligt. "I have a really good relationship with Erik. I really like him as a person as well as a human being. That way I felt the most bad for him because I know what he does every day to get the team performing, so that's quite difficult.

"In the end, you know what football is about. If the results are not there everybody needs to be questioned – the trainer, the players. In the end the trainer gets sacked, the players can stay, so we always have to look at ourselves.

"So, I feel really bad for him. In the end you have to keep going, you can't stay in the past, it’s over now with him."

De Ligt has begun to settle in the Premier League after his summer move, starting each of United's past four games including helping keep a clean sheet against Leicester.

"For me personally, I feel quite well," he said. "I think the last seven games I start to feel really into my rhythm, feeling important for the team. If you combine it with wins, it's really nice."