Formation and philosophy - What Manchester United can expect from Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim manager

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of Manchester United for the first time on an interim basis when they face Leicester in the Carabao Cup tomorrow night.

The former Dutch forward has been chosen to take charge of the club on a temporary basis as they continue their search to permanently replace Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hot seat.

Van Nistelrooy remains a hugely popular figure among United fans and has been warmly welcomed at grounds up and down the country since he returned to the club's coaching staff during the summer. It always felt like the 48-year-old would be the ideal person to takeover should Ten Hag be relieved of his duties and now he will get the opportunity to do just that.

Here is what to expect from the United great as a manager:

Managerial bio

• PSV U17s coach
• PSV striker coach
• Netherlands assistant coach
• PSV U19s manager
• Netherlands assistant coach
• PSV head coach
• Manchester United assistant coach

Style of play

Van Nistelrooy favoured a 4-3-3 formation for the bulk of his time at PSV, with one defensive midfielder and two central midfielders. He also used a 4-2-3-1 approach on some occasions, and this is probably the most likely tactical set-up he will adopt during his time in charge of United.

He favoured a more methodical passing approach play that stemmed from playing out from the back, before utilising the artistry and agility of players like Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke on the wings. This tendency to use inverted wingers could bode well for the likes of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho on the left and even Amad Diallo and Antony on the right.

It was also common for Van Nistelrooy to encourage a midfielder to drop deep when in possession and offer an extra passing option, while in attacking areas, they often created overloads on one side of the pitch with full-backs encouraged to push forward and supplement the attack. Out of possession, his PSV team typically defended as a 4-1-4-1 with a designated defensive anchor screening the back-four and wingers encouraged to drop back into midfield and help out their full-backs.

In his own words

“At Manchester United, Sir Alex was always pushing us forward,” he told Coaches’ Voice in June. “Look forward, play forward, get crosses in, shoot on target. As a player, I loved the way that made me feel. I wanted to play like that, and I want to transmit that same feeling to my teams, to my players.

"As a player, the most important thing I took from working with Sir Bobby Robson and Sir Alex Ferguson was their relationships with the individual. It’s not a football player; it’s a person. When you reach that connection, you get the best out of people – and from there on you can help them build their careers. I never let that thought go out of my mind.

“Sometimes you have to be tough on them, of course, and sometimes you have to get your arm around them. That mixture is important, but the most important thing is to always be honest and straight. When you have knowledge about the game, and what is necessary at the highest level, you must share it.”

Why did he leave PSV

Van Nistelrooy had signed an initial three-year deal to take charge of PSV and won both the Johan Cruyff Shield and KNVB Cup, but resigned with one match remaining of his debut Eredivisie season, citing a lack of support from the club hierarchy.

A key part of this was down to the Dutch club's uncomfortable financial position which saw them forced to sell key players in the January transfer window after they had failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage. Van Nistelrooy did not feel the support was in place to build upon the solid foundations he had laid, though his replacement Peter Bosz, went on to win the Dutch title the following season, finishing five points above a Feyenoord side coached by current Liverpool boss Arne Slot.