Wayne Rooney has shared his spine-tingling reaction to a talented former Ruud van Nistelrooy-managed player who was linked with Manchester United in the past.
Ruud van Nistelrooy shared the pitch with Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford during his legendary playing spell at Manchester United under the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson.
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The 49-year-old Dutchman, who called it time on his prolific playing career in 2012, has been out of management since his ill-fated spell with Leicester City ended.
Van Nistelrooy became Leicester City manager in 2024 after his United interim spell came to an end and the Foxes were relegated to the Championship under his reign.
The former Red Devils interim boss, who was United assistant manager under Erik ten Hag, left his role at Leicester after the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Ruud van Nistelrooy managed Xavi Simons at PSV and the now-Tottenham ace caught the eye of Man Utd icon Wayne Rooney
Before his time with Manchester United and Leicester City in the coaching dugout, Ruud van Nistelrooy entered the world of management with PSV Eindhoven.
Van Nistelrooy had managed the Jong PSV reserve team early in his coaching career before ascending to the head coach role with the senior side at PSV Eindhoven.
During his time at the Philips Stadion, Van Nistelrooy managed Tottenham talent Xavi Simons and the 22-year-old Dutch talent impressed at PSV under his reign.
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Xavi Simons has since arrived in England after Premier League side Tottenham signed him from German outfit RB Leipzig for a £51.8m transfer back in August.
The former PSV and RB Leipzig ace made an impact for his side on Saturday after scoring in Spurs’ 2-0 win over Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Wayne Rooney recently crossed paths with Simons at Spurs’ training complex and the United legend was captivated with the versatile Dutch-born attacking midfielder.
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Speaking on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show, he said: “Yeah, I was really impressed with him [Simons] and his whole body language and how he spoke and, what was it, five languages he spoke, no?
“So, I was really impressed with him and his determination. We’re talking about [Mohammed] Salah wanting to think he just earned the right to play.
“His [Simons] determination he’s had in different clubs he’s been at. It was really a real good insight and a good chat we had with him.”
Wayne Rooney’s reaction to Xavi Simons’ performance for Tottenham is a reminder of Man Utd’s missed transfer move
Xavi Simons netted an impressive 22 times and registered 11 assists for PSV in 48 matches during his one full season under United legend Van Nistelrooy.
The Netherlands international had signed for PSV from Paris Saint-Germain and the Ligue 1 club brought him back in 2023 after triggering his buyback clause.
Van Nistelrooy was a big fan of Simons and United were heavily linked with the Tottenham summer signing in the past, but they never made a move in the end.
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Rooney was thrilled with Simons’ impact at the weekend for Spurs and the England icon has now tipped the Tottenham talent to be a “top player” in his career.
“So, yeah, I’m delighted for him to get his goal as well,” he said.
“I think he’s been waiting for that. And I think that will be the start of him kicking on because he is a top player.”
Simons’ potential success at Tottenham under Thomas Frank could become a haunting reminder for United fans over what could have been with the player.
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