Ruud’s back at Man Utd

There was a show of strength from Manchester United’s hierarchy at the opening training session at UCLA on Friday.

Club director Sir Dave Brailsford was present, along with sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

They had a group chat with manager Erik ten Hag at one point.

One other familiar face was Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has returned to the club as assistant manager, 18 years after his stint as a player ended, with the Dutchman scoring 150 goals in five seasons.

Van Nistelrooy has been out of the game since leaving PSV Eindhoven in 2023 and was speaking to a couple of clubs, including Burnley, about becoming their manager.

However, when Ten Hag got in touch, he felt he had to accept and Van Nistelrooy has no issues working for a boss rather than being one.