£70m deal, Liverpool hijack - Ruud van Nistelrooy can be Man United's transfer secret weapon

Manchester United are weighing up whether to facilitate a return for former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy in a coaching capacity this summer.

Current attacking coach Benni McCarthy is set to leave Old Trafford upon the end of his contract in June. It’s unclear what specific role Van Nistelrooy would be asked to take up but the Dutchman is considering joining United as first-team coach.

The 47-year-old has also been approached by Burnley for the vacant manager’s post at Turf Moor, having left PSV Eindhoven as head coach in September. If he opts for a United return, he could give Erik ten Hag and Sir Jim Ratcliffe a mighty helping hand in landing three players.

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United are targeting Branthwaite as they try to haggle down his £70m asking price. They have already seen a £43m bid rejected by Everton but are expected to try again soon.

Branthwaite played under Van Nistelrooy while on loan at PSV during the 2022/23 season, and brought a lot of praise from his manager with his performances.

“He is good on the ball, can play on the right or left of the centre because he is two-footed, has height and speed – he is a very complete defender,” he once said of Branthwaite. The player himself is an admirer of Van Nistelrooy as a coach.

Speaking to The Mirror in 2023, he said: “I've worked under lots of really top managers and the manager now is a top manager, even being so young.

“Obviously with the knowledge of the game he has from playing and he's got a really good coaching staff around him which will help him along the way, so it's