Burnley set for potential Ruud van Nistelrooy blow as Man United, Erik ten Hag approach revealed | OneFootball

Clarets target Ruud van Nistelrooy has been approached by Manchester United to be a coach

Burnley target Ruud van Nistelrooy has been approached by his former club Manchester United.

Van Nistelrooy, who is being considered by the Clarets to replace Vincent Kompany in the dugout at Turf Moor, has been approached by the Red Devils to join Erik ten Hag's coaching staff, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 47-year-old left his role as manager of PSV Eindhoven in 2023 and has been out of work since.

Burnley are strongly considering Van Nistelrooy in their search for a new manager ahead of their return to the Championship, but they could now be gazumped by his former club as they look to add to their backroom staff.

Man United, Erik ten Hag make approach for Ruud van Nistelrooy

United's approach for van Nistelrooy comes as Ten Hag looks to make changes to his backroom staff.

It has been confirmed that the Dutchman will remain in charge at Old Trafford, as he looks to improve on last season's disappointing eighth-placed finish in the Premier League.

Victory in the FA Cup against Manchester City and subsequent qualification for the Europa League may have been the deciding factor for United's owners, as pressure was beginning to grow on the 54-year-old towards the end of last season.

Now, it appears as though the ex-Ajax boss is plotting changes to his coaching team in a bid to improve United's fortunes during the 2024/25 campaign.

Adding Van Nistelrooy to his staff could be a shrewd appointment by ten Hag, as his Dutch counterpart showed promise during his time as manager of PSV Eindhoven, winning the Dutch Cup in 2023.

He resigned from the role with one game remaining in the 2022/23 Eredivisie season, because he felt as though he was not receiving enough support, and has not been in charge of a club since.

Burnley have held talks with the former United striker about replacing Kompany in the managerial hot-seat, but no decision is yet to be made on who will take over in Lancashire.

Burnley will hope Ruud van Nistelrooy wants to be a manager and not a coach

United's approach for Van Nistelrooy could have major consequences for Burnley, who will now have to wait until next week to find out whether one of their main managerial targets is going to join the club.

The Clarets have been without a manager since Kompany was named as Thomas Tuchel's replacement at Bayern Munich at the end of May.

It appeared as though Burnley had somewhat decided that Van Nistelrooy was their man after being linked with several names, including Frank Lampard and Carlos Corberan, but now it seems that they might need to go back to the drawing board.

They will hope that Van Nistelrooy has ambitions to continue as a manager rather than wanting to become part of the backroom staff.

Burnley suffered a disappointing season in the Premier League last season, as they were relegated back to the Championship just a year after storming to the Championship title under Kompany.

Now, they will hope that they can attempt to repeat the feat under Van Nistelrooy, but they will need to wait and find out whether he decides to join them or opt for a move back to Old Trafford.