Former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has opened up on the conversation he had with Ruud van Nistelrooy before the Dutchman joined the Foxes.
Van Nistelrooy was appointed as the new Leicester boss last week and is preparing for his first game in charge against West Ham United.
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At his press conference on Monday, Van Nistelrooy revealed he had spoken to Maresca before deciding to take the job.
Maresca was in charge of the Foxes for a single season, winning the Championship title before moving on to Chelsea in the summer.
Ruud van Nistelrooy convinced by Enzo Maresca to join Leiecester
Ahead of Chelsea’s game against Southampton, Maresca was asked about his former club and Van Nistelrooy’s comments on his influence in helping the 48-year-old agree a deal with the Foxes.
The Italian admitted he was full of praise for his friend and is looking forward to seeing how he fares in the dugout.
He said: “Ruud is a friend of mine.
“I said here before we faced Manchester United. He called me days ago before he took over there. We had a conversation and I told him Leicester is a fantastic club, first of all because there are fantastic people.
“For sure, it’s a good club. In the end, he decided to go. This was our conversation.”
How do Ruud van Nistelrooy and Enzo Maresca’s managerial records combine?
Both managers are still relatively early into their careers but the duo have impressed in their limited time.
Despite being out of the managerial game for over a year, Van Nistelrooy has more experience in comparison to Maresca, having started coaching since 2013 with PSV’s youth teams.
In the 48-year-old’s 50 games as a manager, Van Nistelrooy has won over half of his games in charge.
| Wins | 37 |
| Draws | 9 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Points Per Game | 2.20 |
| Win Percentage | 46.81% |
Maresca on the other hand has taken charge of 117 games across three clubs (Parma, Leicester and Chelsea) and has won more than 60 per cent of his games throughout his career.
| Wins | 71 |
| Draws | 20 |
| Losses | 26 |
| Points Per Game | 1.89 |
| Win Percentage | 60.68% |
As you can see, there is very little to split the two and given that Van Nistelrooy has hinted his style will be similar to Maresca’s, Leicester fans have reason to be excited.