As Ruud van Nistelrooy prepares to take charge of his first game as the new Leicester City manager, Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca is one of the few to say he has already taken him on in the Premier League.
The former Manchester United striker was in interim charge of the Red Devils when the Blues drew 1-1 thanks to a stunning Moises Caicedo equaliser.
Maresca made the move to Chelsea off the back of just one season with Leicester, however that campaign ended with them winning the Championship in sensational style.
His replacement, Steve Cooper, was sacked after the Chelsea boss beat his former side away from home, with them now looking to Van Nistelrooy to turn around their fortunes.
What Enzo Maresca said to Ruud van Nistelrooy
The Dutchman stated after he got the job that he was quick to get in contact with the Chelsea man before accepting the role.
Now, Maresca has revealed in his pre-match press conference exactly what he told Van Nistelrooy during that conversation.
He said: “Ruud is a friend of mine. I said here before we faced Manchester United. He called me days ago before he took over there. We had a conversation and I told him Leicester is a fantastic club, first of all because there are fantastic people. For sure, it’s a good club.
“In the end, he decided to go. This was our conversation.”
How Enzo Maresca and Ruud van Nistelrooy know each other
The Italian and the striker were teammates during the Dutchman’s final season as a player at Malaga, and have remained friends ever since.
The fact that the Dutchman felt the need to get in contact with Maresca over the credentials of a Premier League job shows just how well he is doing in what is his first season in the top flight.
The Blues currently sit third in the table, holding an identical record to second placed Arsenal ahead of their trip to the South Coast tomorrow night.
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