
Van Nistelrooy 'failed miserably' but hierarchy need 'thinking time'
Former Leicester City winger Matt Piper believes the club's hierarchy are "struggling" to make a decision on Ruud van Nistelrooy, after the Dutchman revealed he is "still waiting" to have talks about his managerial future at King Power Stadium.Speaking on the When You're Smiling podcast, Piper says he expected the club to have already initiated talks but doesn't think they should be "in any rush" to sack him before other important decisions have been made."What's probably going on is that people are pointing fingers at the hierarchy of the club and the club feel they cannot afford to get another big decision wrong," he explained. "They are probably panicking."I can't imagine Ruud being here next year. It's not that it just won't look good, it's that he has failed miserably."I don't think the club are leaning one way or another. I really think they are struggling with it because they cannot afford to get another decision wrong."This is why 'Top' needs to really look at his position first and think about whether this is still what he wants to do. Then the club can look at making changes or bringing in more support at boardroom level because things have been going drastically wrong for a while now."These are decisions that need to be in place first, then they can make a decision on the manager."I don't think they should be in any rush to sack Ruud. This has been a disastrous season so it isn't going to make much of a difference now if you leave him in post and give yourselves some thinking time over the summer."It is one big struggle at the football club at the minute. It's not just the guys on the pitch that are letting things down at Leicester at the minute, it's all the way through the club."Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

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Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool star has honest response to transfer as Reds chase Florian Wirtz
Liverpool are entering the final stages of negotiations to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and the arrival of the playmaker could spark the exits of others Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has claimed he is unaware of any interest from Bayern Munich. The Reds' pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz has sparked rumours that their other forwards could be sold to help fund the move. Liverpool remain in talks with Leverkusen over a deal for Wirtz, with their latest bid of £100million plus £13m in add-ons rejected. But they are expected to return with a fourth and final offer, worth £118m, to get a Premier League record move across the line. With a new star potentially arriving on Merseyside, there are doubts surrounding the futures of Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. While Nunez has been linked with Atletico Madrid and Diaz with Barcelona, it is Bayern who are reportedly eyeing Gakpo, having missed out on signing Wirtz. Mirror Football understands that Liverpool boss Arne Slot has little interest in parting ways with Gakpo this summer after the Dutchman played a role in the club winning the Premier League title. And it seems that Gakpo is of the same opinion, having addressed the reports while on international duty. 'I haven't heard anything about it myself. I'm closing myself off from it,' he said ahead of the Netherlands' 2-0 victory over Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday. 'Maybe my agent has heard something, but I'm focusing on myself.' Gakpo joined Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven for £40m in January 2023 and still has three years left on his contract. He has 41 goals and 17 assists in 128 games for the club so far and, at 26, looks set to be a key player going forward. Bayern's interest has surfaced due to the expected departure of Leroy Sane, who will leave the German giants with a gap to fill on the left wing. Bayern had believed they were at the front of the queue to sign Wirtz from Leverkusen, only for the 22-year-old to communicate his desire to join Liverpool instead. HAVE YOUR SAY! Which players should Liverpool consider selling this summer to fund the Florian Wirtz deal? Comment below. Gakpo would appear to be a difficult target for Bayern, given his enjoyment of playing under Slot in the 2024/25 campaign. 'I think he offered me a lot. The first thing he did was change my position slightly, so back to the left,' he said recently. 'That was maybe a small change on paper but for me it was a big change. Then I had to come into the team as well and he gave me the chance to show myself. 'Obviously he's trying to help me to develop myself in moments in the game, how to be smarter, how to be better, how to get yourself more in scoring positions and giving the decisive pass and everything like this. 'He's helping me a lot. The manager and the staff, they try to help everybody, and I think everybody can see a lot of players are developing well.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Louis van Gaal slams Man Utd transfer approach with cutting Liverpool remark
Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has slammed the Red Devils approach in the transfer market and compared it to that of Premier League rivals Liverpool with Arne Slot Louis van Gaal has made a cutting remark on Manchester United, labelling the a 'commercial club, not a football club'. The Dutch coach believes the Red Devils need too empower manager Ruben Amorim if they hope to be able to replicate the success of Liverpool under Arne Slot. Van Gaal was in the Old Trafford hot seat for two seasons from 2014 until 2016 and won the FA Cup in his second term in charge. The 73-year-old was left surprised by the team's inability to land first choice options despite its commercial wealth. United's ability in the transfer market has long been called into question with accusations of overpaying for players who have not been good enough. The 13-times Premier League champions have seen few outright wins in their incoming business with the exception of Bruno Fernandes. The likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Antony have failed to set the Theatre of Dreams alight in recent seasons, but issues stretch back further than that in the mind of Van Gaal. "They are a commercial club, not a football club," Van Gaal told Sky Sports. "I have said that before and that's always difficult. When the manager is not deciding which players have to come in, it is very difficult." "I think that it is is the way that it should be," he added. "Because then you can fire a manager because he doesn't give any results. But when other people buy the players, then you have a problem. "You need to have the knowledge of the manager, the orientation of the manager, because he has to train them." And, really sticking the boot in, Van Gaal pointed to Premier League rivals Liverpool as a team United should replicate. The ex-Bayern Munich boss reckons Reds head coach has a pivotal role in Liverpool's transfer business, despite adding just one player to his squad last summer. "Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical manager that he has to buy this player, pay attention to it," Van Gaal commented. The Dutchman has long been criticial of his former team's transfer approach. Van Gaal claimed that he did not receive the players he asked for during his time at the club, and the side's transfer business was held to ransom. " Manchester United did not have the qualities to become champions and had an outdated selection with 10 players over 30, five over 35," he told Voetbal International in 2020. "So I told them I was going to rejuvenate and which players should come. I didn't get one of those. "Then you end up in a different segment and as a coach you have to push your boundaries. You don't expect that at the richest club in the world. "A turnover of £600m and can't buy the players you need. You should buy number one and not number seven. Of course, the selling club also thinks: 'If you are so rich, you also have to pay the highest amount imaginable for a player.' That was what happened with transfers. "Then you have to do with the numbers seven or eight on your wish list. For which you actually pay way too much money, on which the coach is judged and convicted." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Not a football club' – Former Man Utd boss launches scathing attack on old side while heaping praise on bitter rivals
LOUIS VAN GAAL has launched a stunning broadside on former club Manchester United. The Dutchman was in the Old Trafford hot seat between 2014 and 2016. 4 Louis van Gaal has hit out at the way Manchester United operate behind the scenes Credit: AP 4 Ruben Amorim has struggled since joining the club last November Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also been criticised for cost-cutting Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Van Gaal, 73, won a solitary FA Cup during his tenure as United boss. And he's been watching their horror 2024/25 season from afar. The Red Devils finished without silverware last term, languishing 15th in the Premier League. INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe employed Ruben Amorim midway through the season to stop the rot. READ MORE ON MAN UTD TO BE FRANK Spurs to hijack Man Utd's £60m Mbeumo as Brentford identify Frank replacement But results continued to slide under the former Sporting Lisbon chief. Van Gaal told Sky Sports: "It is still a commercial club. "It is not a football club. I have said that before - and that's always difficult." The 73-year-old believes the club will never find success unless Amorim is given the chance to choose his own players. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He continued: "When [it's] not the manager deciding which player has to come, it's very difficult. "I think that is the way it should be. Bruno Fernandes reveals role his wife played in £200m Al-Hilal transfer snub even though Man Utd were ready to cash in "Because then you can fire the manager because he's not getting results. "When other people buy the players, then you have a problem. "You need to have the knowledge [of the manager] because he has to train them." Van Gaal also begged United chiefs to "pay attention" to the way Premier League champions Liverpool are operating under Arne Slot. He added: "Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical manager, you need to buy this player. "Pay attention to [that]." Van Gaal won 54 of his 103 games in charge at Old Trafford. 4 His overall win percentage with the club stands at 52.43 per cent. That figure is lower than three United managers who have followed him through the door at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag all boast higher win percentages. But current boss Amorim has the lowest of all five. The Portuguese manager has won just 16 of his 42 games in charge - a paltry win percentage of 38.10 per cent. That's the worst of any permanent United manager since Frank O'Farrell in 1971.