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“Leicester’s Relegation Crisis: Van Nistelrooy’s Fate Hinges on Miraculous Survival”
Ruud van Nistelrooy is on course to lead Leicester City into the Championship, and now a new managerial candidate has emerged—though the Foxes may face stiff competition.
Leicester are reportedly considering Liam Rosenior as a potential replacement for Van Nistelrooy, whose tenure has come under increasing pressure.
A disastrous run in the Premier League has left the Foxes nine points adrift of safety with just nine games remaining.
Van Nistelrooy, who took over in December following a short stint as caretaker at Manchester United, enjoyed a promising start with a victory over West Ham. However, his side has earned just four points from the last 15 matches.
Rosenior, who guided Hull City to a seventh-place finish in the Championship last season, is currently managing Strasbourg in Ligue 1.
The 40-year-old has led his team to a solid position just outside the European qualification spots, already surpassing the points total from last season.
According to L’Equipe (via the Derby Telegraph), both Leicester and Southampton are keeping an eye on Rosenior, though there is no immediate risk of a managerial change if both clubs face relegation.
Southampton, managed by Ivan Juric, are almost certain to be relegated, with reports suggesting the Croatian will be dismissed at the end of the season.
The same report notes that Leicester are not expected to sack Van Nistelrooy as long as survival remains mathematically possible. However, it remains uncertain whether he will still be in charge for the 2025-26 season opener.
In an interview with AFP (via GFFN) this month, Rosenior expressed optimism about Strasbourg’s chances of qualifying for Europe.
While the club won the Intertoto Cup in the 90s, they’ve had only one European campaign in the past 19 years, reaching the Europa League play-off round in 2019-20.
“Why not?” Rosenior said. “We’re in football to dream. I’ll never stop my players from dreaming. It’s not arrogance, but we are only four points off third place with eight games to go. Of course, it’s possible!”
Leicester have a weekend off due to the FA Cup quarter-finals, followed by a tough away trip to Manchester City in midweek.
Van Nistelrooy’s side were beaten 3-0 at home by Manchester United in their last match, but the Dutchman has vowed to keep fighting against the odds in the battle to avoid relegation.
“If you look at the data and numbers from the game, it was very even,” he told Match of the Day after the United defeat. “Scoring goals is what gets you points. We can’t and we won’t give up—we’ll fight until the end.
As long as it’s mathematically possible, we’ll keep going. We want to show we can score, keep clean sheets, and pick up points at this level.”
