At home at Old Trafford, van Nistelrooy scored a direct hit. United crushed Leicester 5–2 in the league cup. National team captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf got a direct starting spot in United's central defense.
It is highly likely that van Nistelrooy will continue in the role as temporary manager for a few more matches.
The search for ten Hag's permanent replacement is ongoing, but one name stands out among those considered to be the hottest candidates: Sporting Lisbon's and Viktor Gyökeres' coach Rúben Amorim.
Manchester United is said to pay the approximately 110 million kronor it costs to buy out the 39-year-old from his contract. Sky Sports claims to have information that says the transfer is clear and will be presented soon.
After Sporting's match against Nacional on Tuesday evening, Amorim was asked if it was his last match as coach for the club.
"Nothing is certain yet"
No one knows if this was my farewell match. Nothing is certain yet, Amorim replied.
Other information suggests that he will join United first after the next international break, in three weeks.
During Amorim's time in Sporting, the club has won the Portuguese league twice. He recruited Gyökeres from Coventry in the summer of 2023, and since then, the Swedish national team player has developed into one of European football's top goal scorers.
If Amorim takes over in Manchester United, he will become the Premier League's youngest manager. For Pep Guardiola, age is not an issue.
Knowledge is knowledge. If you have the ability, age plays no role. The most important thing is talent. If you're good enough, age doesn't matter, says Manchester City's successful manager.
Isak scores
Alexander Isak did his job as a goal scorer for the second match in a row against Chelsea. On the weekend, it was a loss in the Premier League. The revenge came in the league cup at home, a 2–0 win.
Liverpool knocked out Brighton (3–2 away), Crystal Palace advanced after 2–1 away against Aston Villa, and Arsenal had no problem away against Preston, winning 3–0.
Dejan Kulusevski had a key role when Tottenham knocked out Manchester City and reached the quarterfinals via 2–1. First, he set up Timo Werner's 1–0, then Pape Matar Sarr's 2–0.
Tottenham's Micky van de Ven and Werner both got injured and left the pitch, as did City's Servinho.