Ruud van Nistelrooy will realize what is surely a career dream tomorrow night when he manages Manchester United at a floodlit Old Trafford.

The scene of many unforgettable experiences as a player, he will have the opportunity to experience the feeling of coaching after the departure of Erik ten Hag. sacked yesterday and he was appointed interim.

If reports are to be believed, it appears his moment will be fleeting as Ruben Amorim already looks set to be named the club’s new permanent manager.

Van Nistelrooy joined the coach set up at United in the summer, but has been manager of PSV Eindhoven in the 2022-23 season, winning the Johan Cruyff Shield and the KNVB Cup.

The United legend has described the influence his time at United as a player had on his coaching philosophy in the past. Talk to The Guardian During the summer he said: “At Manchester United, Sir Alex was always pushing us forward. Look forward, play forward, collect crosses, shoot on target. As a player, I loved how it made me feel. I wanted to play like that and I want to transmit this same feeling to my teams, to my players.

After the lack of goals scored in the Ten Hag era, United fans will be licking their lips at the thought of seeing more goals flying into the opposition’s net on Wednesday night.

Athletics have taken a deep dive into the Dutchman’s tactical setup and claim he primarily deployed a 4-3-3 with a slow, patient build-up that would look to “send direct balls to the wingers”.

His PSV youth and senior team would aim to overload the central areas to create space for the wingers and “when the ball crossed the halfway line, the impetus would be for the wingers to move wide, while the full-backs advanced troops would fall back in and help. central midfielders.

“Once the ball approached the final third, the attacking momentum was channeled towards their talented wingers, who looked to beat their opponent one-on-one.”

This could be seen in the use of current Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo, who drifted in from the left and shot.

Marcus Rashford has already credited Van Nistelrooy for his better form this season, so expect to see a lot of the ball under his system.

Alejandro Garnacho is used to receiving the ball and being asked to run at defenders, but one player who could get a chance to shine is fan favorite Amad Diallo.

Before taking the field against Fenerbahce last week, in the dying embers of the match, Amad could be seen on the sidelines, with Van Nistelrooy’s almost apologetic arm around his shoulder for his recent lack of playing time.

Amad’s trickery and intelligence on the ball could be a sought-after skill in Van Nistelrooy’s system.

The use of overloaded full-backs should also suit Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, both strong in offensive areas and very comfortable with the ball, to play in a midfield role.

Worryingly, The Athletic highlights a familiar problem with Van Nistelrooy’s system compared to Ten Hag’s.

“Without the ball, Van Nistelrooy’s PSV largely defended in a stubborn 4-1-4-1, where Sangare – in particular – was tasked with cleaning things up before the opponents ventured too close to the box repair of the PSV.” Therefore, it can be reasonably assumed that Manuel Ugarte’s energy could be used by the 48-year-old to strengthen the defensive line.

“Rest defense was a problem for many parts of the season (especially after the World Cup in Qatar), due to the number of players who were often ahead of the ball when the ball was lost. Sangaré could only cover limited space in matches and PSV tended to cede worrying counter-attacking opportunities to the opposition.

This will bear frightening similarities to Ten Hag’s United last season and for parts of this one, such as their defensive horror at Porto, where there was a massive disconnect between the midfield and the back four.

Overall, with Amorim’s appointment only a matter of time, it seems likely that Van Nistelrooy will at most get tomorrow’s game and the home game against Chelsea this weekend to showcase his talent. manager.

Fleeting as it may be, it will certainly be a special moment for any United fan at the turn of the millennium, who was used to seeing the great goalscorer regularly put defenses to the sword in front of an adoring Old Trafford.