Ruud van Nistelrooy is worried about being seen as the man who betrayed Erik ten Hag.
Van Nistelrooy is the favourite to become the new manager of Manchester United if a defeat at Aston Villa makes Ten Hag’s position at Old Trafford untenable after two rollercoaster seasons.
The former United striker will be offered the job on an interim basis if Ten Hag is sacked - but he does not want to be portrayed as an opportunist who took up a position on Ten Hag’s backroom staff in the summer to give the club a temporary solution should the Dutchman fail to improve his team’s wretched form.
Van Nistelrooy has previous experience of being knifed in the back - and knows that this time he will be seen as the one holding the weapon. United were eighth last season - their lowest finish of the Premier League era - and have already lost half of their opening six games of the new campaign.
United have also drawn twice in the Europa League, which is regarded as another precious route back into the Champions League by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group running the club.
Van Nistelrooy’s only managerial experience ended in bitter acrimony after just a season in charge at PSV Eindhoven when he accused assistant Fred Rutten and several senior players of conspiring with the club’s directors behind his back in the spring of 2023.
The Dutchman quit before the final game of a campaign in which Eindhoven had won the Johan Cruyff Shield and qualified for the Champions League.
He is wary of a similar scenario unfolding at Old Trafford, despite rejecting the chance to manage Burnley in the summer to return to Manchester.
A source in Holland said: “Van Nistelrooy is a principled guy. He felt betrayed at Eindhoven - and he will not want to be viewed as the man who went behind Erik ten Hag’s back.”
There is some tension between Ten Hag and Van Nistelrooy as speculation has grown that the former United favourite was recruited by INEOS in the summer to replace assistant Mitchell van der Gaag because he would be a safe pair of hands should a change of manager be required.
Rene Hake, a friend of Ten Hag’s, was also brought in as an assistant, while former United midfielder Darren Fletcher moved onto the coaching staff after stepping down as technical director.
There was some surprise at Old Trafford this week when Ten Hag allowed a Dutch film crew into the club’s Carrington training ground to film Hake taking a training session. Hake later gave an interview in which he suggested he was second-in-command.
Hake said: “I give all my views on football matters to Erik and I am the one responsible for the planning of training sessions, both physically and tactically. Erik has the final say, but we are working intensively together on the bigger picture.”
Asked about the role of Van Nistelrooy, he added: “Ruud is very big here - and you can tell that all the time because people recognise him everywhere and they show respect. But for me, he is a colleague.”
Ratcliffe turned down the chance to give Ten Hag a vote of confidence when he was interviewed by the BBC on Friday, insisting that any decision on the Dutchman will be taken by chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Club co-owner Ratcliffe will be at Villa Park for what could be Ten Hag’s final act. He angered his manager during the summer when he took weeks to give him his backing despite watching United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup Final.
Ten Hag was eventually rewarded with a one-year contract extension to 2026, which means it will cost United around £15million to dispense with his services.