MANCHESTER UNITED APPOINT RENE HAKE AND RUUD VAN NISTELROOY AS FIRST-TEAM ASSISTANT HEAD COACHES
Manchester United have added former Go Ahead Eagles and PSV Eindhoven head coaches Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy to their first team coaching staff, the club confirmed on Thursday.
“Together with Erik, we are working to strengthen all areas of our men’s first team operations,” said new Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth in a statement. “And refreshing the coaching staff is an important part of that.”
The double appointment sees the return of former prolific striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to Manchester United after he left the club for Real Madrid as a player in 2006. Van Nistelrooy played five seasons at United and won the Premier League title, FA Cup, the League Cup and the Community Shield during his time at Old Trafford.
He also won the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot in three of those 5 seasons, a Premier League Golden Boot award and a Premier League Player of the Season award. A former fan favorite, the Dutchman scored 150 goals in 219 games at the club.
“It’s a particular pleasure to welcome Ruud back to the club where he enjoyed so much success as a player,” added Ashworth. “And I know that he and Rene will help re-enforce the winning mentality and high standards we are aiming for.”
The appointments of both Dutchmen had been public knowledge for a few weeks but took some time to become official as both coaches had a visa delay to take on their new roles with the club. Both Hake and van Nistelrooy were at Carrington as early as Monday for the team’s first practice back but could not be part of the session due to their ongoing visa and work permit situation.
Unlike van Nistelrooy who sat out the 2023/24 season after resigning from his head coaching position at PSV Eindhoven, Hake had to resign from his head coaching role at Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles to join ten Hag at Manchester United. After a successful campaign last season where the 52-year-old guided The Pride of IJssel Kowet to a ninth-place finish in the Eredivisie, Hake decided to answer the call and begin a new chapter in the United Kingdom. Hake was replaced at Go Ahead Eagles by former SC Heerenveen assistant coach Paul Simonis.
Manchester United said assistant head coaches Steve McLaren and Darren Fletcher remain key parts of the first-team head coaching staff. Assistant head coach Michel van der Gaag and forwards coach Benni McCarthy have, however, left the club.
“I am delighted that Rene and Ruud have agreed to join our project, adding a wealth of experience, knowledge and new energy to the staff,” said ten Hag in a statement on the team’s official website. “Now is a good time to refresh the coaching team as we look to build on the achievements of the past two years and push to the next level.”
“Mitchell [van der Gaag] has decided that now is the right time for him to pursue his own ambitions in a number one position. I want to pay tribute to his fantastic service over the past two years, and also to Benni for his important contributions. We send them our thanks and best wishes for the future.”
Per The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, van der Gaag saw this as the opportune time to step away considering his coaching aspirations. The former Excelsior Rotterdam head coach wanted to be a no.1 again, having previously managed in both Portugal and Holland.
Both Hake and van Nistelrooy signed at United on a two-year deal, through June 30th, 2026, and will therefore have the same contract length as head coach Erik ten Hag, who signed a one-year extension with the team last week.
With several key changes made to the coaching staff, United are now expected to focus on the playing personnel as the club’s deals for Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee and Lille’s Lenny Yoro inch ever closer to completion.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Florian K. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.