Soccer-Struggling Leicester City name Van Nistelrooy as manager

Leicester City have appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager to replace the sacked Steve Cooper on a contract until June 2027, the Premier League club announced on Friday.

Cooper departed with the Foxes hovering two points above the relegation zone, and the club moved quickly to appoint Van Nistelrooy, who had been assistant manager at Manchester United and took interim charge when Erik ten Hag was fired last month.

"I'm proud, I'm excited. Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic," Dutchman Van Nistelrooy said in a statement.

"They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the club, the supporters and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive."

Leicester enjoyed a stunning Premier League title success in 2015-2016 but were relegated in 2023 before coming straight back up under Enzo Maresca, who then left to join Chelsea. Former Nottingham Forest boss Cooper was appointed in June.

Leicester surprisingly sacked Cooper on Sunday after 157 days in charge following a 2-1 loss at home to Chelsea that left them 16th on 10 points, just above the relegation zone.

Friday's announcement comes two weeks after Van Nistelrooy left his role as interim coach at United, where he led the side to three victories and a draw in all competitions.

The 48-year-old moved on from Old Trafford after the arrival of Ruben Amorim as United's new permanent manager despite the Dutchman expressing interest in remaining at the club.

"Ruud's experience, knowledge and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us and we look forward to supporting him in achieving success for our fans and our club," said Leicester Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.

The former United striker also played for PSV Eindhoven and Real Madrid, scoring 349 goals at club level and 35 in 70 appearances for the Netherlands.

As a coach, Van Nistelrooy previously led PSV in the 2022-23 season, where he won the Dutch Cup, before joining Ten Hag's staff as an assistant coach in July.

Leicester next visit Brentford on Saturday, with caretaker manager Ben Dawson set to lead the team before Van Nistelrooy takes charge when they host West Ham United on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Janina Nuno in Mexico City, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Ken Ferris)