Ruud van Nistelrooy has left his job as Leicester’s manager after a miserable 27-game spell which brought relegation from the Premier League.
The club said the termination of his contract had come by mutual consent. The former Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche and Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Röhl are among the contenders to take over.
Van Nistelrooy was appointed in late November on a contract to 2027 after Steve Cooper was sacked with Leicester 16th but their form got worse, with demotion confirmed with a1-0 defeat by Liverpool on 20 April. It was Leicester’s nine home loss in a row without scoring.
“I would like to personally thank theLeicester Cityplayers, coaches, academy and all the staff I have worked with for their professionalism and dedication during my time at the club and to thank the fans for their support, and take this opportunity to wish the club well for the future,” Van Nistelrooy said.
The Dutchman started with a win at home to West Ham and a draw at Brighton but results then deteriorated. A 3-0 home defeat by Newcastle on 7 April made Leicester the first side in the top four tiers of English football to lose eight successive home league games without scoring and Van Nistelrooy the second Premier League manager after Daniel Farke, then with Norwich, to lose eight home games in a row in the competition.
The 48-year-old took charge at the club, who finished 18th, less than a month after leaving his job as an assistant at Manchester United, where he had a successful caretaker spell after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal that featured two wins over Leicester. He waspreviously the manager of PSV.
He secured five wins for Leicester, one in the FA Cup against QPR and two against already relegated Southampton and Ipswich after his team had also been consigned to the Championship.
Van Nistelrooy’s assistant Brian Barry-Murphy has gone to Cardiff as head coach and another assistant, Jelle ten Rouwelaar, the goalkeeper coach, is expected to join Brighton. The players are due back for pre-season on Monday.
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Leicester said the first-team coaching staff would take charge of training until the appointment of a manager. If Ten Rouwelaar departs as expected, Andy King, their former player who was promoted to first-team coach in February, and Andrew Hughes, the set-piece coach, are poised to lead the team on an interim basis.