Ruud van Nistelrooy can help Manchester United the same way he helped Liverpool

Towards the end of Ruud van Nistelrooy's time as head coach at PSV Eindhoven there were suggestions of disquiet from players around his methods, but there is no denying the impact he had on some of them.

The 46-year-old former striker worked his way through the ranks at his former club, joining as an under-17s coach in 2013 and becoming the striker coach for the under-17s, under-19s and reserves in 2016, before finally ascending to the top job in 2022.

He lasted just one season at the club before leaving over a disagreement about how much support he had, but during his time there he certainly had an impact on Cody Gakpo, a transfer target for Manchester United before his January 2023 move to Liverpool.

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Gakpo was in the Under-19s and reserves throughout Van Nistelrooy's time as striker coach and was then a member of the first team during his time in charge. Starting out as a left winger, the 6ft 4in attacker gradually became a goalscorer capable of impacting the game in different ways under the former Holland international.

Perhaps most telling is Gakpo's stats under Van Nistelrooy. In 24 games for him for PSV, he scored 13 goals and registered 17 assists. He took that form into the World Cup in 2022, scoring goals against Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar in a more central role and eventually signing for Liverpool after that tournament.

Gakpo's goalscoring record hasn't been as good at Anfield but it is respectable and of his 79 appearances, 49 have come either as a striker or a false nine, with 18 goals and six assists. They have Van Nistelrooy to thank for smoothing those edges and sharpening that finishing.

That is the kind of stardust United now want to be sprinkled on their young strikers. It is easy to imagine the kind of impact Van Nistelrooy could have on 21-year-old Rasmus Hojlund, for example. The same would be true of Joshua Zirkzee if he makes the move from Bologna.

In Hojlund, United have a raw talent with all the physical skills to be a Premier League No.9. Even when agreeing a £72m deal with Atalanta, there was an acceptance he needed developing. Van Nistelrooy could be the coach to do just that, improving the finish so that the Dane becomes a constant threat.

In his first season at United, he went through hot and cold spells. Now the challenge is to look like scoring every week and find ways to get into games when they appear to pass you by. The raw skillset is certainly there.

Van Nistelrooy could also talk to Hojlund and the club's other young strikers about the pressure of playing for United. He has been there and done it and there is undoubtedly a value to that at such a unique club, where the expectations and scrutiny can sometimes seem overbearing.

If Van Nistelrooy opts to take up a first-team coaching role at United, rather than return to management with Burnley, then the dynamic between himself and Erik ten Hag will be fascinating to watch. But Ten Hag will also be aware that someone with Van Nistelrooy's playing CV and coaching experience could help United, and especially those young forwards.

Liverpool have already had the benefit of that.