Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes received clear message from Man Utd caretaker boss

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The media presence of several Manchester United icons certainly adds to the pressure that comes with having the top job at Old Trafford. As if being the manager of one of the world's biggest and most successful clubs isn't hard enough, the likes of Gary Neville , Roy Keane , Paul Scholes , Rio Ferdinand , Nicky Butt and more are influential in the media landscape.

That means the top dog at United will be held to the standards they set during their careers and scrutinised swiftly and publicly when putting a foot wrong. However, the blunt criticisms was not a source of contention for Ruud van Nistelrooy during his caretaker reign at the club following Erik ten Hag's sacking .

The former striker, who scored 150 goals in 219 games for the Red Devils, took charge of four United games before the permanent appointment of Ruben Amorim in November 2024.

Winning three and drawing one of them, it was before the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Old Trafford that Van Nistelrooy admitted that criticism from his former team-mates doesn't bother him.

The Dutchman said: He said: "I mean, we all do our jobs, don’t we? I think basically they care for the club, they want the club to do well and they are disappointed as well if it doesn’t go well with the club and have opinions on it.

"I think it’s absolutely fine and I don’t take it personal. When I see them I have a cup of coffee with them, and I don’t have any problems with that. I appreciate them as former colleagues, some of them I’m still in touch with, and that’s the path they choose. Others go and stay in football more on the football side, so, for me, it’s absolutely fine."

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Van Nistelrooy admitted that the path to success for United - who have not won a Premier League or Champions League title for over a decade - will come but the fanbase must be patient.

"In football things can change, things can continue," he said in 2024. I don’t believe the hype that much. I don’t believe the drama that much. I know it’s the world we live in. For me, it’s important to stay calm, stay focused, do my job on a daily basis.

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"I think that also has to be the case for this club. We’re not going to turn it around from today to tomorrow, but I think we’re going to get it done and I believe in that over the longer future."

With Darren Fletcher at the helm, temporarily, the hunt for a new permanent boss is already underway and for their sake, it'll be one capable of handling the tenacity of the media that comes with being the leader of Manchester United.

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