Ruud van Nistelrooy 'hurt' and 'disappointed' by enforced Man Utd exit as new Leicester boss opens up on 'man to man' conversation with Ruben Amorim

The former Red Devils striker had a brief but impactful stint as interim manager at Old Trafford following the sacking of Erik ten Hag. Despite overseeing three wins and one draw during his four-match tenure, his journey with the club ended abruptly last month when Ruben Amorim was appointed as United’s new permanent manager.

Van Nistelrooy has since been appointed as head coach at Leicester, but has admitted his departure from United was a tough pill to swallow.

"The moment I took over the interim job what I said was I'm here to help United and to stay to help United, and I meant it. So I was disappointed, very much so, and it hurt I had to leave," he told reporters.

"In the end, I got my head around it because I also understand the new manager. I've been in football long enough and I've managed myself. I understand."

Van Nistelrooy revealed that he held a candid conversation with Amorim regarding his potential role and the Portuguese did not mince words while explaining that he would prefer to have his own backroom staff inducted into Carrington, which helped him come to terms with the situation.

"I spoke to Ruben about it, fair enough to him, the conversation was grateful, man to man, person to person, manager to manager," he said. "That helped [me] a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks with new possibilities which of course lifted my spirits."

Van Nistelrooy has signed a contract at Leicester until 2027, and now faces the daunting task of steering the Foxes away from the relegation zone after a disastrous start to the campaign which has seen them win just two of their 13 Premier League matches.

Van Nistelrooy's first challenge comes on Tuesday night when Leicester host West Ham at the King Power Stadium, giving him an immediate opportunity to make a positive impact.