Ruud van Nistelrooy can copy Cristiano Ronaldo trick to take Man United gem to next level

Earlier this year Ruud van Nistelrooy put on a finishing session for FC Twente attacking midfielder Sem Steijn, with the 22-year-old keen to pick the brains of arguably his country's greatest finisher. After 17 goals in 34 Eredivisie games last season, the impact was immediate.

"I went on the field with him twice to work on my [shooting]," Steijn said after scoring a hat-trick against FC Volendam last month. “If you can learn something from anyone, it is from Ruud. It was very educational and I am very happy with that.

“We didn’t even shoot that many balls, but we looked more at what I do with which ball. What angle do you create for the goalkeeper and in what angle do you stand behind the ball?”

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Manchester United's forwards might have to form a queue for their one-on-one sessions with Van Nistelrooy if the club's former striker takes up a post as one of Erik ten Hag's assistants in a new-look coaching set-up. Van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have been lined up to bolster the coaching at Carrington and both bring plenty of experience, having been managers in their own right. Their arrival will put the futures of Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy in question, with their doubts the latter will be kept on. McCarthy joined United in 2022 but his contract expires this summer..

He spent time working with United's forwards but he wasn't present at every game and it's easy to envisage Van Nistelrooy taking up the burden of fine-tuning that finishing. He did just that for Cody Gakpo during their time together at PSV Eindhoven, as well as working individually with Steijn while out of