Ruud van Nistelrooy has said that ‘PSV will always be in my heart’ after stepping down as their manager earlier this week. The Manchester United icon quit the Dutch giants last Wednesday with one game of the Eredivisie still to go, with a club statement claiming he felt a lack of support from the board. The former striker began his coaching career with PSV’s youth teams a decade ago and was appointed first-team manager in March 2022. In his first full season in charge he won the Dutch Cup and Dutch Super Cup, while the side require just one point from their final game to secure second in the league ahead of Ajax but still far behind runaway winners Feyernoord. All in all, he won 33 of his 51 games in charge, losing just eight, with his side scoring 126 goals in that time.
Though his time with the club appears to have ended acrimoniously, there was no anger or bitterness from Van Nistelrooy when he finally broke his silence on his resignation late on Friday night. ’10 years PSV, what a wonderful ride!’ the 46-year-old posted on Instagram alongside a compilation of pictures from his tenure. ‘I was allowed to help youth players with great colleagues at the academy, so that they could make the step to Jong PSV, PSV 1 or to professional football at another club. Countless players that I now proudly watch in professional football, from KKD, Eredivisie, PSV 1 and major leagues in Europe. ‘For 5 years I gained experience as an assistant trainer and striker trainer while I obtained my diplomas in the meantime. This was followed by 3 years as head coach at U19 and 1 year at Jong PSV. And then the ultimate: becoming the head coach of PSV 1. Winning prizes for this wonderful club with great supporters.
‘Thank you for your unwavering support everywhere we played! PSV will always be in my heart and I will always support the club and the team.’ It is not clear where the former PSV, United and Real Madrid star will go next but the Dutchman has been linked with a wide variety of clubs including Real, Tottenham, Celtic and Inter Miami. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.