Leicester City are currently trending in the wrong direction, but a victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup could be the catalyst that turns their season around.
Leicester travel to Man United in the FA Cup on Friday night as Ruud van Nistelrooy visits Old Trafford for the first time since exiting the club.
Van Nistelrooy wanted to draw a lower-league side in the competition, although he’s spoken about how special it is to return to his former club.
It’s been a miserable time for the Dutchman since assuming the managerial role. A return of just two wins in 11 matches sees Leicester sitting in the relegation zone.
Statistics even suggest that Van Nistelrooy has done a worse job than Steve Cooper, underlining how difficult it has been for the 48-year-old.
That being said, he hasn’t been handed the easiest situation to navigate, with Leicester only signing one player in the transfer window.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy comments on Leicester City future
It emerged that Van Nistelrooy wanted four new players when he took the job in November. To only sign one, Woyo Coulibaly from Parma would have been deeply frustrating.
The Leicester owners even feared Van Nistelrooy could quit after failing to back him in the January transfer window.
However, when he was asked about whether he’d mulled over his future because he wasn’t helped in the transfer market, the Dutchman issued a defiant response.
“Not at all, because when you’re part of the conversations and you are informed on a regular basis how things are going, then things are not a surprise. I don’t have to be considering these things,” he said via Leicestershire Live.
Perhaps Van Nistelrooy is masking his true anger behind that response as he was ultimately failed by the club in the transfer window.
Leicester’s relegation rivals have taken advantage
Van Nistelrooy has previously quit when he wasn’t backed by the board, doing so at PSV, and it wouldn’t have been a surprise if a similar narrative unfolded at Leicester.
Going off his above response, it’s unlikely he’d walk out of the King Power Stadium, but he surely must be frustrated at how the last month has unfolded.
While Leicester failed to get players through the door, relegation rivals Ipswich and Wolves armed their squads with added quality.
Wolves signed two defenders, Emmanuel Agbadou and Nasser Djiga along with midfielder Marshall Munetsi, and Ipswich captured four new signings.
Kieran McKenna splashed the cash on Jaden Philogene from Aston Villa, and West Brom’s Alex Palmer while loaning in Julio Enciso and Ben Godfrey.
Those two clubs have attempted to do something about their dire situation, whereas Leicester have stagnated, and that could be the difference come May.