Ruud van Nistelrooy tells Ruben Amorim which Man United star is 'example' to rest of squad

Ruud van Nistelrooy has hailed Bruno Fernandes as the ultimate professional, describing him as the "example" to the rest of the Manchester United squad.

The captain will mark his 250th competitive appearance for the club in Sunday's game with Leicester City, having missed just 13 matchday squads since his arrival in 2020. Only two of those were because of injury, with the others either due to illness, yellow card suspensions or for rest purposes.

Fernandes assumed the armband in the summer of 2023, after Erik ten Hag stripped Harry Maguire of that role. Ruben Amorim - who arrives from former club Sporting CP on Monday - will be the sixth different United coach, temporary or permanent, Fernandes has played under at Old Trafford.

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The fifth, Van Nistelrooy, will watch over his latest appearance milestone, having previously hit 200 games under Ten Hag, 100 under Michael Carrick and 50 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Van Nistelrooy has hailed Fernandes as the talisman in the United squad.

"He's an example of how he lives the game as a professional," he told MUFC media ahead of Sunday's impending clash with Leicester - his final match in charge as interim manager.

"And of course as a captain, he's leading the team in being a role model in how to be the best professional he can be. Also, helping others in many situations on and off the pitch. He's a great example and a great captain."

Touching on his 249 outings for United, so far, Van Nistelrooy added of Fernandes: "If you think about it, January 2020 when he came in - it's now November 2024 and I don't need to explain how fit you have to be because you have to play all the games. That [shows] how professional you are."

Van Nistelrooy has outlined his desire to stay on at United as an assistant to Amorim - who looks set to bring in his own long-time backroom duo Carlos Fernandes and Adelio Candido. The Dutchman has also admitted that he'd like to be the permanent manager of United one day in the future.

But ahead of his final outing as interim coach, former striker Van Nistelrooy thanked United fans for their warm support. "When I took over, you think about this spell of four games and it's passing so quickly," he added.

"I've enjoyed every moment of this. The connection is there with the players and the fans, and special moments. Sunday is the last one in that sequence and I guess it's going to be a little bit special. I just want to make sure we are at our best, which is what I'm thinking about."

Van Nistelrooy continued: "I couldn't have done it without their support [the fans]. And the support of the players and also our staff members.

"But also the fans - and you can't imagine walking out of the tunnel to get a reception like that - how it feels and how supported that you feel, to do whatever I can to help make the club better, the players better and get results. So a huge thank you for their support."

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