Ruud van Nistelrooy shows his true colours amid claims he could replace Erik ten Hag

Manchester United icon Ruud van Nistelrooy returned to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag's assistant coach in the summer but could already be lined up for the head gig

Amid growing pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy has had his say on coaching at Manchester United.

After a period of deliberation, the Red Devils stuck with Ten Hag this past summer and extended the Dutchman's contract. Van Nistelrooy left his senior role at PSV Eindhoven to join as his No. 2 soon after, and speculation has suggested the ex-United hitman could be promoted to the head role if his current boss is fired.

The pressure on Ten Hag is mounting once more after United saw out a 1-1 draw at home to FC Twente in their Europa League opener on Wednesday. But despite the doom and gloom surrounding the club so close to his heart, Van Nistelrooy believes it was "100 per cent the right decision" to come back this summer and is fully invested in the current United project.

"I felt a strong feeling I want to help build United, little by little, to where we feel and know the club should be," he told former team-mate Rio Ferdinand during an interview with TNT Sports. "I know, I was on a managerial track. I was at PSV, it was an unbelievable experience.

"I was in talks with clubs to manage. I loved it, I had my staff all ready - and then I had a phone call [from Ten Hag]. And I was like, 'Jeez.' I never thought of it, either, as a possibility."

It doesn't take long to get a sense of Van Nistelrooy's passion for management as he admitted to Ferdinand that not every ex-player is cut out for a career in coaching. It also feels apparent that while the 48-year-old is fully supportive of Ten Hag and as much of a team player as ever, he wouldn't shy away from taking the reins at his former stomping ground if asked.

"I feel like it's me. . .it's not a job description, or anything like that, but I want to bring in, 'What is Man United?'" replied Van Nistelrooy when asked if part of his job is to bring back the culture that saw him win the Premier League and FA Cup at the club. "And the players who [have played] here a long time know. And I have to say the players are brilliant. They're all committed, they're all on board."

When discussing his attention to detail, the former striker revealed he's accumulated "a library" of coaching notes for the squad. Ferdinand referenced another Dutch tactician in Rene Meulensteen, who worked in various roles at United throughout much of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure and had a similarly meticulous approach.

It's that dedication to fine-tuning a team that suggests Van Nistelrooy is a senior coach at his core, proving as much when he won the Dutch Cup with PSV just last year. And depending on how United fare in the coming weeks or months, it may not be long before he gets another opportunity to implement his methods as a senior manager once again.

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