Man Utd: Van Nistelrooy arrives for first match as interim manager

Ruud van Nistelrooy has arrived at Old Trafford to lead Manchester United as interim manager, stepping in after Erik ten Hag’s departure earlier this week following a difficult start to the season. Van Nistelrooy, a former United striker, will oversee his first game in charge against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. This match marks the beginning of the post-Ten Hag era, after Ten Hag secured two domestic trophies last season, including the Carabao Cup, which ended United’s six-year trophy drought. Van Nistelrooy had been appointed as Ten Hag’s assistant over the summer in anticipation of Ten Hag’s third season, but now finds himself leading the team in a transitional period. United are actively pursuing a new permanent manager, with Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon as the top candidate. Amorim arrived at Sporting’s headquarters on Wednesday to conduct training but faces a potential mid-season exit that some players reportedly view with concern. Sporting confirmed on Tuesday that Amorim’s £8.3 million release clause had been paid, leaving the final decision up to the manager.

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Ronaldo’s Al Nassr fires coach Castro

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al Nassr announced the departure of Portuguese coach Luis Castro on Tuesday, a day after starting their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a disappointing draw. Monday’s 1-1 stalemate with Iraq’s Al Shorta in the Asian competition compounded a slow start to the domestic season with the current contract of Ronaldo, 39, due to expire next summer. “Al Nassr can announce that head coach Luis Castro has left the club,” said a statement posted on X. “Everyone at Al Nassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months, wishing them the best of luck for the future.” Castro, 63, is the third coach to depart Al Nassr since Ronaldo’s groundbreaking arrival in early 2023 on a contract that was said to net him 400 million euros over two-and-a-half years. Frenchman Rudi Garcia quickly left that April, followed by a brief stint by Croatian coach Dinko Jelicic before Castro was appointed in July last year. The highly decorated Ronaldo is yet to win a Saudi trophy with the Riyadh club, with his sole silverware so far being last year’s Arab Club Champions Cup. Al Nassr, who finished a distant second in the last Saudi Pro League season, have drawn twice in three matches at the start of the new campaign. Ronaldo’s arrival heralded a rash of high-profile signings by Saudi clubs last year, with Neymar and Karim Benzema among those opting for the oil-rich, conservative kingdom.

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