Former Fulham playmaker Bryan Ruiz claims that Erik ten Hag has now invited him to come and watch Manchester United in training.
United boss Erik ten Hag goes way back with United assistant manager Steve McClaren.
The pair worked together at FC Twente back in 2008 with Ten Hag serving as McClaren’s assistant with the Eredivisie side.
The roles reversed last summer as Ten Hag turned to McClaren for help at United.
A reunion at Old Trafford made sense; McClaren had history at United and provided a great sounding board on English football for Ten Hag.
Now another former Twente man is heading to United – even if only very briefly…
Bryan Ruiz heading for Manchester United
Ex-Twente star Bryan Ruiz has now told Voetbal Primeur that he has been invited to learn at Carrington.
The Costa Rican ace noted that he had mostly been taking time away from football since retiring with Alajuelense in December 2022.
Now 38, Ruiz is turning to coaching and is currently focusing on helping Alajuelense’s youth setup.
However, Ruiz notes that he has been invited to study the methods of Ten Hag and McClaren at United, admitting that this is a ‘fun’ step for him.
“I go to the gym, I play tennis and padel. The first six months after I stopped I took completely time off and only spent time with my family. Now I have started as a trainer of the U17 of Deportivo Alajuelense, to find out whether I am good at being a trainer and also whether I enjoy it enough.”
“I have now received an invitation to come and see Steve McClaren and Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. Those are fun things to do,” he added.
Who is former Premier League ace Ruiz?
Ruiz was a silky attacking midfielder in his playing days, starring with Alajuelense, Gent and Twente before earning his big Premier League move.
Fulham paid £10.6million to bring Ruiz to England but he couldn’t quite match his outstanding numbers in the Netherlands.
Ruiz managed 13 goals and 24 assists in 107 games for Fulham, spending time on loan at PSV Eindhoven before joining Sporting, Santos and Alajuelense.
Ruiz was also a star for Costa Rica, racking up 147 caps for his country, playing a key role in their superb 2014 World Cup campaign.
The attacking midfielder spent one season playing under McClaren at Twente but never actually crossed paths with Ten Hag, so this arrangement may be McClaren-led.
In fact, McClaren publicly extended the invite to Ruiz upon his retirement in 2022, with the former Fulham ace now finally heading to spend time at United.
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