Ruud van Nistelrooy prediction at Man United would see history repeat itself

Michael Owen thinks Ruud van Nistelrooy could one day find himself managing Manchester United – just like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did.

Van Nistelrooy, 48, made his return to Old Trafford as assistant manager to Erik ten Hag just over a year after exiting his role at PSV Eindhoven. His comeback commenced with an auspicious home win against Fulham, but that was followed by a disastrous 2-1 defeat at Brighton.

This ex-striker's return to the club closely follows a period when speculation was rife about Ten Hag's possible dismissal. Although opinions on Ten Hag among supporters are still divided, Van Nistelrooy has been getting to work with a United squad strengthened by the signings of his fellow Dutchmen Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt, alongside young centre-back Leny Yoro and former Ajax full-back Noussair Mazraoui.

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Owen, however, has made a prediction about Van Nistelrooy's future, which would almost mirror how Solskjaer took the role full-time. He told OLBG: "It's an interesting situation for Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United. If it's five games, 50 games or 500 games, Erik ten Hag will go at some point.

"When it does happen the club will look for a new manager and because that takes time, there is often an interim coach or a caretaker while that search happens. So if Van Nistelrooy doesn't leave before Ten Hag, you would think that he would get a handful of games as manager like Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick have done in the past.

"Even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was temporary and he did well enough to buy himself more time and eventually