The elephant in the room with Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United must be addressed

Ruud van Nistelrooy recently admitted he never thought he would go into coaching.

Van Nistelrooy didn't think he wanted to become a coach after hanging up his boots as a player, and he wouldn't have considered the idea of managing Manchester United.

But something inside Van Nistelrooy turned him to management and there is now a real possibility he could take charge of United, at least on an interim basis this season.

Erik ten Hag was pushed closer to the brink following Sunday's heavy 3-0 defeat to Tottenham and although he will be allowed to manage against FC Porto and Aston Villa this week, there is a growing belief that he could be axed as the October international break begins.

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The possibility of Van Nistelrooy stepping in and taking the reins on an interim basis if Ten Hag is sacked has been blindingly obvious since his arrival as a first-team coach in July.

Van Nistelrooy made an impressive start to his management career by winning the Dutch Cup as manager of PSV Eindhoven in 2023 and held talks about becoming the manager of Burnley before opting to join Ten Hag's backroom staff, so it was an interesting move for him.

Having resigned from his position at PSV in May last year, Van Nistelrooy took a break from football last season and returned to work at a club he spent five years with as a player.

Van Nistelrooy has been considered a shrewd addition to Ten Hag's backroom staff and has received praise from players, who have relished working with a former United great.

He would be a safe pair of hands on an interim basis, but the possibility of him managing United