RUUD van Nistelrooy is still waiting to hear if he will be part of the plans at Manchester United going forward.

The Red Devils’ interim boss has taken charge of three games for the club but will be replaced by new manager Ruben Amorim on Monday.

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Van Nistelrooy was appointed as Erik ten Hag‘s assistant manager this summer, but could now be surplus to requirements with the Dutchman sacked last week.

And despite valiantly stepping up to guide United through their post-Ten Hag fixtures, he’s still none the wiser on where his future lies just FOUR DAYS before Amorim arrives.

No official decision has been made public on the future of the former Man Utd star yet and even he appears to be in the dark about what’s happening – despite constantly checking his phone for updates.

Speaking to TNT Sport after he led United a 2-0 win over PAOK, he said: “I did [check my phone] when I left your [TNT] desk. I checked my WiFi an it was all on.

“But nothing yet. Patience, patience.”

It looks like he will have to be patient as he waits for the execs at Old Trafford to decide his fate.

But first he has to prepare for his last game in charge of the club he represented 219 times as a player.

Van Nistelrooy will be in the technical area as boss for the final time before Amorim’s imminent arrival for United’s clash with Leicester this weekend.

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Man Utd ratings vs PAOK

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SUNSPORT’S Phil Thomas reveals which Man Utd players would have impressed incoming boss Ruben Amorim against PAOK.

ANDRE ONANA – 6
One great tipover to keep out a Camara half-volley.

But any other stops were pretty routine.

NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI – 6
Another solid, if unspectacular, display.

An increasingly dependable presence by the week.

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VICTOR LINDELOF – 6
Flat-footed once in the first half, but rarely flustered thereafter.

Started a few attacks as well.

JONNY EVANS – 6
Wise old head at the back.

But lucky to get away with going AWOL for one second half chance.

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DIOGO DALOT – 4
Usually reliable, but shoddy with so much of what he did, and his delivery wasn’t great either.

Surprising he wasn’t hooked earlier.

CASEMIRO – 6
Starting point for most of what United did going forward.

Although that wasn’t a great deal to be honest.

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MANUEL UGARTE – 5
Still far from the midfield general United hoped.

Distribution disappointing too. No shock when subbed off.

AMAD – 8 (STAR MAN)
Livewire runs, impressive closing down, the crucial opening goal…and a stunning second.

United’s best player by some distance.

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BRUNO FERNANDES – 7
Knocked some marvellous passes, always looking to create.

At least someone was!

ALEJANDRO GARNACHO – 6
Close with one header and a couple of decent runs, but all in all a quiet night.

Hooked.

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RASMUS HOJLUND – 5
One early header aside, little to work with apart from chasing hopeful balls.

No clear sights of goal, either.

SUBS
Rashford (for Garnacho 64) 6
Eriksen (for Ugarte 64) 6
Martinez (for Dalot 64) 6
Mount (for Amad 81) 6
Zirkzee (for Hojlund 90) N/A

SunSport exclusively revealed last week that the Man Utd first team are desperate to for Van Nistelrooy to stay, with an insider saying players have “made their feelings clear internally”.

While the former Real Madrid star has said himself that he wants to stay and honour his assistant contract which is set to run until the end of next season.

His time in charge has seen him guide the team to a 2-0 win over PAOK, a 5-2 trashing of Leicester in the Cup and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the league.

Speaking last month, Van Nistelrooy said: “I decided to come back here for a very important reason.

“I came as an assistant to help the club move forward.

“It’s going to be a short job as an interim – that was communicated very clear.

“I was happy with that. I will then go back to my assistant contract that I have here for this season and next.

“When a new manager signs and conversations take place we have to see how things develop.”

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If Francis Ngannou were to face Jon Jones, Eric Nicksick would advise him to bring the fight to him.

PFL heavyweight superfights champ Ngannou (17-3) and UFC heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) were on a collision course in the UFC until Ngannou opted to sign with PFL.

UFC CEO Dana White is not a fan of cross promotion, but if a deal was ever reached where a superfight between Ngannou and Jones happened, Nicksick broke down what their game plan would look like.

“I definitely think you had to put Jon on his backfoot,” Nicksick told Kevin Iole. “You had to put pressure on him, you had to put him up against the corner post, and you couldn’t get in a technical fight with Jon. And you couldn’t allow him to dictate the hand play, right – where he starts to occupy your hands and that’s a slow-paced type of fight where Jon is very technical there, and he starts to pick you apart with elbows, and the clinch, and the knees and the things that he does so well.

“For me, I thought we’ve got to get this guy on his backfoot, and we’ve got to apply pressure right away and make it an ugly fight. Don’t make it a technical fight. You’re going to have to make this grimy and try to get him out of there in the first two, three rounds. I think the longer a fight would have gone between him and Francis, it would have favored more Jon, and that was where I felt like if we put a game plan on him, we were going to have to put the pace on him.”

Jones makes his first heavyweight title defense when he takes on Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 headliner Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy thinks an extended stint on the bench acted as motivation for Manchester United’s two-goal Europa League hero Amad Diallo.

Amad had been named as substitute in six successive games before being given a start against Greek side PAOK at Old Trafford.

In Van Nistelrooy’s words, the 22-year-old responded by being “our best player in the first half”, before “winning us the game in the second”.

Asked if being a substitute so often had been a motivating factor, Van Nistelrooy said: “Apparently so.”

The Ivory Coast international was by far United’s biggest threat against limited opposition – he was prepared to run at the PAOK defence and carried on doing so, even when he did not get immediate reward.

Van Nistelrooy accepted a first half in which United made “many technical mistakes” and had one shot on goal “wasn’t good”, but Amad made the difference after the interval.

“The second goal had everything in it that is Diallo,” said Van Nistelrooy. “He fought to win the ball off the defender, then pushed through to take the shot and had the quality to bend it around the goalkeeper.

“He is a great character and a hard worker. He shows that attitude in every training session. Every day in he comes to me and wants to do extra finishing, crossing, one v ones. He is asking how can I improve his shot, and his heading.

“He is constantly focused on learning and getting better. He is motivated to get the most from his career.”

Amad’s present contract expires next June, although United do have the option to extend it by an additional year.

Next week, he will have a new boss to impress as Ruben Amorim takes charge.

Van Nistelrooy said he would have to “check his phone” to see if he had received a message from the Portuguese although, for now, he seems happy both parties are concentrating on their current clubs.

“I think that Ruben focuses on [Sporting at] Braga and I focus on Leicester [in the Premier League on Sunday],” he said.

Great Britain earned a comfortable victory over Denmark in their Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifier in Manchester.

Savannah Wilkinson led the scoring for Britain with 14 points as the home side secured a 75-62 victory.

The win put Britain in a good position to qualify for the final round, which takes place in June.

They sit on five points – one behind Group D leaders Sweden, with Denmark third on four points and fourth-placed Estonia on three.

Each side has three games left to play, with Britain next facing Sweden in Malmo on Sunday.

The winners of Groups A-H qualify for the final round alongside the four best-ranked runners-up.

The Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Italy make up Group I, with the four nations automatically qualifying as hosts.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones knows Tom Aspinall holds a piece of the division’s title, but isn’t interested in a unification bout.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returns to action Nov. 16 to face Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It could be the last fight for “Bones” as he has teased a potential retirement.

At 37, with a bonafide Hall of Fame legacy Jones has created as a two-division UFC champion, stepping away from the sport if he defeats Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who many view as the best heavyweight champion of all time, would be understandable.

If Jones continues to fight, a title unification bout against current interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) appears to be the public’s popular wish. However, Jones doesn’t share the same desire to make that fight happen.

“More than likely not,” Jones told Kevin Iole when asked if he would fight Aspinall after UFC 309. “I feel like Tom Aspinall is, I don’t want to say nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything. He hasn’t done anything. I understand he won his belt against Sergei, and Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else, so it’s like, I’m not here to gamble someone else making a name off of me.”

Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champion by beating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, the original date for Jones to face Miocic before his pectoral injury. The UFC created an interim title in Jones’ absence, which Aspinall claimed with a first-round knockout.

Aspinall only has one loss in the UFC, which came due to injury 15 seconds into his first meeting with Curtis Blaydes. In a rematch at UFC 304, Aspinall recorded a rare interim title defense by stopping Blaydes with punches in the opening round.

He’s finished every opponent in the UFC, only reaching the second round once. Despite Aspinall’s feats in the heavyweight division, Jones remains unimpressed.

“I’m here to compete against the guys where when we look back, you know, 10 years from now, you’ll be like, ‘Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy, this legend, and that champion and this champion,’” Jones said.

If Jones continues his career after UFC 309, only one fighter on the roster piques his interest.

“If there were to be a fight of a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it, but legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira,” Jones said. “We’re both 37 years old. Right now, I weigh about 235. I’m an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240. I think that fight would go much farther on my legacy than a young man who’s cool today, and may be gone tomorrow.

“I remember a time when the whole world thought Johnny Walker was going to be the guy to beat me. No disrespect to Johnny Walker, but we all seen how his career has played out. I’ve just been here too long to get all excited about someone who is hot today. I’m here for legacy. I’ve been gambling way too long just to take random fights.”

TEMPLEGATE tackles Friday’s racing confident of firing in some winners.

Back a horse by clicking their odds.

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ETALON (2.25 Exeter, nap)

He did plenty of improving last season with a couple of hot handicap wins. He looks on a fair mark with more to come this term.

BRENDAS ASKING (3.00 Exeter, nb)

She dug deep to score at Ludlow last time and this longer trip should be ideal.

LAURENS BAY (12.50 Fontwell, treble)

She won a bumper on debut and showed plenty of promise when going close on hurdles debut at Stratford last time out.

Templegate’s Tips

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