Ruud van Nistelrooy was disappointed to leave Manchester United after his successful spell as interim coach came to an end but the Dutchman said he understands why new manager Ruben Amorim wanted to bring his own assistants into the club.

Van Nistelrooy, who was appointed Leicester City manager at the end of last month, went unbeaten in his four games in charge at United following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, having previously served as his compatriot’s assistant.

“I was disappointed, yeah, very much so, and it hurt that I had to leave,” he told reporters on Monday.

“The only job I would take as an assistant was at United because of the bond that I have with the people in the club and the fans. But in the end I got my head round it because I also understand the new manager.

“I spoke to Ruben Amorim about it, the conversation was grateful, man to man, manager to manager, and that helped a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks with new possibilities which lifted my spirits.”

Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in a highly successful five-year stint at United before moving to Real Madrid but the former striker said he has the battling qualities to help 16th-placed Leicester avoid relegation.

“People see Real Madrid, Manchester United, but my first three seasons as a professional were in Dutch football with FC Den Bosch, so I know what it’s like to fight,” he added.

Leicester host West Ham United in the Premier League later on Tuesday.

-Reuters

Enzo Maresca does not believe his Chelsea side are in the English Premier League title race, despite an impressive start to the season in his first campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Victory over Aston Villa at home on Dec 1 would be a seventh win in 13 league games under the Italian, who was appointed as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor in June.

Ahead of the clash, Chelsea were fourth in the table, level on 22 points with Arsenal, who could leapfrog them should they beat West Ham United on Nov 30. The result of that match was unavailable at press time.

The Blues are a point behind Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion, and nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea are in the hunt to return to the Champions League after two seasons away and Maresca has fashioned an effective team from a bloated squad.

But the 44-year-old Italian was keen to play down suggestions that his side could be the one to end City’s four-year title streak this season.

“No,” he said, when asked whether they were in the title race.

“I said many times I didn’t like the pressure. I don’t like to say ‘Yes we are there’ but we are not there.

“Arsenal are ahead of us, City is ahead of us, Liverpool showing they are ahead of us. The important thing is we improve game after game and then we will see.

“For me, it is not about points or the table, it is about the process. Five years together (Arsenal), nine together (City). Liverpool is different but they didn’t make too many changes from before. It’s not about the points difference on the table, it is about the time together.”

Liverpool and City are meeting on Dec 1, giving Chelsea the chance to make up ground on the teams above them but Maresca also urged caution.

“You have to be realistic. You can see the difference between us and the rest in this moment. It doesn’t mean we are not going to compete and win games. We will do that to the end. The main focus has to be the feeling we are improving game after game,” he added.

Maresca played for Sevilla from 2005 to 2009, about four years before current Villa boss Unai Emery took charge of the La Liga club and led them to three Europa League titles.

He heaped praise on the Spaniard, who was appointed by Villa in October 2022 and helped the Birmingham-based side qualify for the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.

“Villa have a top manager, they are doing fantastic. I know Emery from Sevilla and I know how intense they are. They are showing fantastic things with very good players. It will be a tough game,” he said.

Villa, three points back, are winless in seven consecutive matches in all competitions and Emery has urged his side to “keep going”.

“Now, we are going to face Chelsea. Of course, difficult, and those three points will be very important,” the 53-year-old said.

“The most important thing is to try to build our team, to feel comfortable and strong and try to correct some mistakes we are doing.”

-AFP/Reuters

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has won the FIFPRO Impact Award for humanitarian work, for the medical care his foundation provides to underprivileged communities in Cameroon and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Doctors have performed more than 1,200 surgical operations over the past three years in collaboration with the 28-year-old’s Andre Onana Foundation, which works with medical professionals to provide surgery and care for people, particularly children.

The honour is part of FIFPRO’s Annual Merit Awards that recognise players giving back to their communities. The global soccer players’ union will donate $10,000 to Onana’s foundation.

“When I passed through Barcelona, Amsterdam and Milan on my way to Manchester United, I had people who helped me on that journey. When I was down, they gave me a hand so that I could stand up,” Cameroonian Onana said on FIFPRO’s website. “I’ve never forgotten the help I received.

“Because of the people in the past who supported me, I feel I have a responsibility to give back and help others.”

Onana said the plan when he started the foundation was to help blind children in Cameroon, but it has since grown to become an NGO, bringing doctors and surgeons, mainly from Spain, to Africa to perform procedures.

Onana’s United teammate Marcus Rashford won the award in 2020 for his campaign to continue free school meals for disadvantaged children in the United Kingdom when schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finland international Linda Sallstrom won FIFPRO’s Player Activism Award for speaking out on human rights issues, such as equality, racism and democracy. In March, she confronted fans in Gothenburg, Sweden who she said made misogynistic slurs against her and her teammates.

Former South Korea goalkeeper Ga-Ae Kang won the Player Voice for leading efforts by Korean footballers and the country’s player union KPFA to improve employment conditions for female players and raise the visibility of the Women’s K League.

-Reuters