'I was furious that Ruud van Nistelrooy resigned - I stormed straight to my car'

New Manchester United caretaker coach Ruud van Nistelrooy once left a former charge upset after resigning from a managerial post having fallen out with his bosses

A single season as PSV Eindhoven manager was all it took for Ruud van Nistelrooy to forge some special relationships.

Ibrahim Sangare was seemingly so appreciative of the coach that he had to be coaxed back to the training ground after learning of his resignation. Van Nistelrooy, 48, led PSV to the Dutch Cup and a second-place finish in the Eredivisie but stepped down from the role in May 2023 following a fallout with the club's hierarchy.

Reports have indicated there were some players in the PSV squad happy to see Manchester United's new interim coach leave after scrutinising his methods. But Sangare - who joined Nottingham Forest for £30million last year - was not one of those as ESPN journalist Milan von Dongen recounted the Ivorian's response to Van Nistelrooy's decision.

"They had to get him out of there to get him back," said Von Dongen at the time. "He was furious about Van Nistelrooy's departure. So there will also be talk within the group of players."

That 14-month stint back in Eindhoven was (until recently) Van Nistelrooy's sole senior management position. And short though it was, it's evident certain PSV players took a shine to the Red Devils icon, who scored 150 goals in 219 appearances at Old Trafford.

Sangare, 26, perhaps proved just how serious he was in his emotions given he left the club for England just a few months after Van Nistelrooy departed. And the pair have since been reunited on English soil after Van Nistelrooy joined United's staff as Erik ten Hag's assistant in the summer.

It was announced on Monday that the retired hitman has taken over at United as caretaker boss after Ten Hag was finally fired. The Red Devils are in the midst of their worst start to a season in the Premier League era, sat 14th in the table after losing 2-1 at West Ham on Sunday.

Now that his responsibilities at his old stomping ground have been elevated, it will be interesting to see how Van Nistelrooy responds in terms of approach. It's clear the tactician wasn't prepared to compromise policy at PSV having sacrificed his job over a disagreement with his superiors, but such practices may not be so straightforward at a club like United.

The Red Devils squad have the benefit of having already worked with Van Nistelrooy as he gets to work implementing his own vision at Old Trafford. And he'll hope to curry the same favour that once saw Sangare stage a storm-out in solidarity with his former chief.

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