How Maresca persuaded Van Nistelrooy to take up Leicester job | OneFootball

Ruud Van Nistelrooy admitted that his ‘great friend’ Enzo Maresca played a key role in convincing him to take up the Leicester job, as the current Chelsea boss was ‘very positive’ when describing his experience at the club.

The former Manchester United interim manager spoke for the first time as the new Foxes’ coach and revealed that Maresca was the ‘first one’ he spoke with when rumours of a potential move to the King Power Stadium came out.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 04: Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca celebrates promotion during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers at The King Power Stadium on May 04, 2024 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The Italian tactician coached Leicester last season, brilliantly steering them back to the Premier League through direct promotion, which was enough to earn a call from Chelsea last summer.

Van Nistelrooy: ‘great friend’ Maresca was ‘very positive’ about Leicester experience

“Of course, when the first approach was there, and you’re going to think about the club and the players, and the setup, and the training ground, and all of these questions you have, and you’re curious about the people who worked there,” Van Nistelrooy explained in his first press conference as Leicester coach.

“And of course, Enzo being a great friend and a former teammate, he was the first one to call and what better information could I get?

“But to be fair, when we played against each other in the Premier League game, as I did the interim [manager] against Chelsea, half an hour, we spoke and I didn’t know yet about Leicester.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Stamford Bridge on October 06, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

“But we spoke about it, and he was already quite positive, very positive actually.

“So that only got better when I spoke to him, and I have to say he was absolutely right according to the first impressions that I get.”

As mentioned by the former striker, he faced Maresca’s Chelsea in November while temporarily managing Manchester United after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, in a match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The pair also played together in Malaga, the last team Van Nistelrooy played for in 2011-2012 before announcing his retirement.