- Van Nistelrooy could be manager of Leicester when they play Brentford on Sunday
- The Foxes did sound of Graham Potter again but he remained unconvinced
- Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Ruud van Nistelrooy is leading the race to succeed Steve Cooper as Leicester manager.
The Dutchman twice led Manchester United to victory over the Foxes this season, when he was placed in caretaker charge following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.
If the final details are concluded, it would be Van Nistelrooy’s first senior job in English football. He was in charge of PSV Eindhoven for the 2022-23 campaign and won two domestic cups, but resigned one game before the end of the Eredivisie season.
It remains to be seen whether the deal will be finalised in time for Van Nistelrooy to take charge of Leicester’s clash at Brentford on Sunday. Ben Dawson, who was part of the coaching staff under Cooper, has been leading training sessions this week.
Mail Sport understands Leicester put out feelers to Graham Potter on Sunday night though yet again, Potter is thought to have been unconvinced.
Potter was approached by Leicester after they sacked Brendan Rodgers 18 months ago, and after Enzo Maresca left for Chelsea at the end of last season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy leads the race to be Leicester City’s next manager after Steve Cooper
Van Nistelrooy won the Dutch Cup with PSV and impressed as Man United’s interim manager
The Foxes sacked Cooper on Sunday a day after a 2-1 loss to Chelsea and are 16th in the table
Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter was unconvinced by Leicester’s advances
Potter was reluctant to commit himself on both occasions. David Moyes was also sounded out.
Cooper was hired on a three-year contract last summer and leaves with Leicester in the best position of the three sides promoted from the Championship last term. It is understood the club would be interested in speaking to Potter, who they approached last summer and in spring 2023.
Cooper struggled to win over the majority of the squad. At their Christmas party in Copenhagen on Saturday night – a trip which had been approved by Cooper – players were pictured in the Museo nightclub in the city. In one of the pictures, a reveller holds aloft a sign ‘Enzo I miss you’.
Former Leicester coach Enzo Maresca, who was succeeded by Cooper, had led Chelsea to a 2-1 win at King Power Stadium hours earlier.
Even though results were not disastrous, Leicester chiefs were alarmed by the standard of performances while the change in approach between Cooper and Maresca is also thought to have unsettled a number of players.
