LEICESTER, England :Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said his future at the club needs to be sorted out soon as they contemplate planning for life back in the second-tier Championship.
A 1-0 home defeat by runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool condemned 19th-placed Leicester to relegation on Sunday.
Former Manchester United striker Van Nistelrooy was appointed in late November after the club parted company with Steve Cooper but he has struggled to turn around their fortunes, winning just two of his 20 Premier League games in charge.
Sunday’s defeat was their ninth home league loss in a row without scoring – an English league record.
“We have to use this time to get better,” Dutchman Van Nistelrooy said. “The club will continue and it is my job to put the club in the best place possible.”
Asked when he will know whether he is staying on, Van Nistelrooy said: “I hope soon. The new season starts very soon and preparation needs to start to move forward.
“The sooner, the better.”
Leicester’s display on Sunday had some positives but relegation has felt inevitable for months.
“I’m very disappointed that it’s a definite now. We kept hoping and fighting, but over the last weeks we saw the gap growing,” Van Nistelrooy said.
“Then you see it coming, although we never gave up and we shifted the focus towards the future to use these games and finish the season as best as possible.
“Next season the Championship will start and it is my job to do the best things possible for the club. I’m working in the coming weeks, it is my job to do everything in the best interests of Leicester City.
“I’m waiting on the clarity of the club and how they want to continue. It is the goal to lead the club.”
