Ruud van Nistelrooy reveals Enzo Maresca was ‘first’ person he called before accepting Leicester offer as new boss says he wants to copy Chelsea coach’s ‘idea of play’ with Foxes.

Van Nistelrooy replaced the sacked Steve Cooper on Thursday with the task of keeping the Foxes in the Premier League. Cooper did little to win over the hearts of the Leicester faithful as his ties with Nottingham Forest, defensive style and mixed results could not fill the void left by Enzo Maresca. The Italian coach got the side promoted back to the Premier League from the Championship at the first time of asking and is still thought of favourably in the east Midlands – even by some of the players. Van Nistelrooy has revealed he has called Maresca to see if he can help recapture the magic at the King Power Stadium.

Speaking to Leicester’s club website, Van Nistelrooy said: “I have to say, when the interest came, the first one I called was Enzo. He was so positive about it. He absolutely loved his time. When you hear these things, it’s a club you want to be a part of. Obviously, with the interest coming, I phoned him and I asked him more detailed questions about the club, the structures, the people that work there, the squad, the stadium, the fans, the town, the surroundings… it was a fantastic conversation. It’s always a pleasure to talk to him.”

Maresca’s Leicester were promoted from the Championship as winners and caught the eye with impressive attacking play, so much so that Chelsea believed the Italian was the right person to replace the outgoing Mauricio Pochettino. Maresca has had a stronger start to his time in the Blues’ dugout that a number of his recent predecessors and has the side fourth. At the other end of the table, Leicester are 16th and just one point clear of the drop zone.

Van Nistelrooy returns to the Premier League action for the first time since he oversaw Manchester United hammer his new side 3-0. The Dutchman’s successful interim spell in charge of the Red Devils helped swing him the job at the Foxes and he travels to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on Brentford.

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