Ruud van Nistelrooy pens touching final message after being axed by Man Utd

Ruud van Nistelrooy has penned a touching message to Manchester United fans following his departure from the club earlier this week.

Van Nistelrooy had taken charge of United on an interim basis during the four matches since Erik ten Hag's sacking, with the ex-Red Devils ace remaining unbeaten during his spell.

Starting things off with a win over Leicester City in the League Cup fourth-round, Van Nistelrooy's men went on to squander a late lead at home to Chelsea in the Premier League, before picking up their first Europa League win of the season against PAOK at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy rounded off his brief stint in charge with another victory against Leicester, this time in the Premier League, with the former PSV Eindhoven coach certainly having left the side in a better place than where he picked it up.

But despite his impressive interim spell, there was no spot on Amorim's coaching team for Van Nistelrooy, whose departure was confirmed on Monday afternoon.

In a message posted to his social media accounts, the Dutchman took the time to thank the three-time European champions, saying: “To everyone at Manchester United Football Club, in particular the backroom staff, the players and the fans.

"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible efforts and support. It has been a privilege and honour to represent the club as a player, coach and manager, and I will always cherish the memories we have shared together.

"Man Utd will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope there are many more glory days at Old Trafford very soon - not only because I want the club to do well, but because you all deserve it! All the best and take care, Ruud."

The former striker had already shared his gratitude to the Old Trafford faithful following Sunday's win over Leicester, saying: "I really enjoyed it, it's been a short but amazing period. We are in an uncertain position but we tried to do our jobs and help the club which is important.

"There are a lot of feelings there, the way the fans supported me and the team always in difficult moments it was a special moment. To close down this block of games with good results and a good connection I can't thank them enough."

It's all eyes on Amorim going forward though, with the now-former Sporting coach having been afforded a valuable two weeks without competitive action before his first game in charge next weekend.

After picking up four points from their previous two league outings, the pressure has been alleviated somewhat, given United are now just a further four points off the Champions League spots.

But having raised expectations with a 4-1 thumping of Manchester City in his penultimate game in charge of Sporting, Amorim arrives at Old Trafford amid plenty of fanfare, with the supporters demanding an instant improvement following the misery under Ten Hag earlier this term.

United return to action away to Ipswich Town on November 23rd.