Burnley FC: Glen Little issues Ruud van Nistelrooy claim in hunt for Kompany successor | OneFootball

Glen Little has shared his thoughts on the type of manager that he sees Burnley going with as their search for Vincent Kompany's replacement continues.

It's a confusing state that football finds itself in at the moment. A manager who has just finished second-bottom of the Premier League has been handed the opportunity of a lifetime to take charge of one of the biggest clubs in world football - Bayern Munich.

Had Kompany moved away from the principles that saw his Burnley side romp the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign, in favour of a more pragmatic one that could have seen them have a better chance of staying up, then he might not have been offered his new role.

But here we are. He stuck to his guns and, even though they failed him initially, it was a beautifully played tactic for him personally.

The Clarets are currently searching for who will be their next boss. Liam Rosenior is a name that has been mentioned, although he is reported to be the leading candidate for the Sunderland job.

Journalist Alan Nixon believes that Frank Lampard, Scott Parker, and current interim boss Craig Bellamy are the ones that are in with a shot of succeeding the former Belgian international.

And Glen Little - a Turf Moor legend who played nearly 250 games for the club - believes that Burnley will take a similar approach this time as they did when they initially appointed Kompany before the start of the 22/23 season.

Glen Little issues prediction on next Burnley FC manager

The former winger thinks that the Clarets will go down a similarly left-field path with whoever they appoint to be their next boss, as they did when they brought in the new Bayern manager from Anderlecht - and has mentioned ex-Man United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy as a name of interest that could be tempted by the Turf Moor vacancy.

"There have been so many names, as there are going to be," Little said to the Burnley Express.

"Even the worst job in the league you’ll probably have 200 applicants. So can you imagine how many are interested in the Burnley job?

"I’ve heard so many names. There are some who are in the Championship already. Liam Rosenior got a mention and he’s just lost his job at Hull. Carlos Corberan has been mentioned.

"Away from that, Frank Lampard and Scott Parker, they’re not managing at the minute but have had some success in the Championship.

"The one I quite liked the sound of when I first heard was Steve Cooper, but then he seems to have turned it down. Whether he’s got something maybe better lined up in the Premier League, I don’t know. But that would have been someone who made a lot of sense.

"I don’t know where they’re going to go, but I’ve just got a feeling it might be another surprise. A bit like the Kompany one where we all thought ‘where’s that one come from?’ It came out of nowhere.

"Could it be someone like Ruud van Nistelrooy, where again we say we didn’t see that coming? He’s got no real experience in England other than the great playing career he had, similar to Vincent."

Burnley should be in no rush to appoint a new boss

Unlike a team like Sunderland, who they may battle to try and appoint former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior, Burnley have the makings of a squad that could easily challenge next season. With this comes less pressure to recruit and recruit early.

It can be hard to convince players to join a club when there isn't a permanent manager/head coach in place. This is something that the Black Cats are finding out now with their own players, let alone ones they want to sign.

But, because Burnley don't need to go out and potentially overhaul their squad in order to be successful next season, they can afford to take their time with an appointment, whether they prove Little's inkling to be correct or not.