Ruud van Nistelrooy could make major U-turn to seal return days after Man Utd axe

Burnley could try again to appoint Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager after the Dutchman turned them down in favour of a return to Manchester United.

Van Nistelrooy, 48, was relieved of duties at Old Trafford on Monday after new manager Ruben Amorim chose to bring in his own coaching staff. The ex-Red Devils striker - who played for United between 2001 and 2006, scoring 150 goals - oversaw their last four games prior to the international break as caretaker manager, winning three and drawing one.

That was after Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by the club last month, brought him back to United in July as an assistant coach. Van Nistelrooy is now searching for his next role, having only previously managed PSV Eindhoven's reserves and senior side.

The former PSV, United and Real Madrid and striker held talks with Burnley in June following the departure of Vincent Kompany to Bayern Munich. Mirror Football reported at the time that Van Nistelrooy had held two meetings with chairman Alan Pace, with Burnley having been relegated back down to the Championship.

After Van Nistelrooy opted to rejoin United instead, Pace turned to ex-Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge boss Scott Parker to guide the Clarets back to the Premier League. Parker started strongly, winning his opening two games by an aggregate score of 9-1. But Burnley have stalled of late, managing just one victory in their last five while scoring just twice, leaving them fourth in the table.

The Turf Moor faithful have grown frustrated with Parker's style of play and some fans have even called for the 44-year-old to be sacked - which Burnley are seemingly not ruling out. The Sun report that Van Nistelrooy still has admirers in East Lancashire and the Clarets are keeping tabs on him following his departure from United.

Get involved! Should Burnley replace Scott Parker with Ruud van Nistelrooy? Have your say in the comments section.

Image: Gary Oakley/Getty Images) Gary Oakley/Getty Images)

It's noted that Pace is likely to stick with Parker - who's won promotion from the Championship twice as a manager - for some time, having backed Kompany to the hilt last season. But should results continue to disappoint, the American's hand could be forced.

Nine goals in their last 13 games isn't what fans were hoping for but Burnley did get a much-needed 1-0 win at home to Swansea City on Saturday. A 94th-minute penalty from Jay Rodriguez helped ease the pressure on Parker before the international break.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to read article