Van Nistelrooy on transfer 'reality', FA Cup and Man Utd return
Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has been speaking to the media before Friday's FA Cup game at Manchester United (kick-off 20:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Van Nistelrooy confirmed that Jeremy Monga, 15, and Jake Evans, 16, will be part of the squad at Old Trafford, while midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is available for selection.
On the mood after last weekend's loss at Everton: "The disappointment, which we didn't see coming after the Tottenham game, was painful and very disappointing. We evaluated the game with the players, where we have to improve, and then you start going back to work again."
Reflecting on a transfer window in which Leicester made only one senior signing: "It's not a question of being disappointed or happy - it's a question of reality. It's clear what the reality of the club is at this moment. The opportunities and restrictions go hand in hand and we had to deal with this."
Van Nistelrooy continued: "I said before that we needed to strengthen and to impact the team with impact players, and we weren't able to get them because of the balance of opportunity and restrictions. That is the reality. We tried, but the focus was on impact players to strengthen the squad. We did it with Woyo Coulibaly but other possibilities weren't possible."
Asked if anything changed, he said: "The conversations in November before I joined were clear. Of course, you then enter a process together, where you prepare the window and the figures and everything is presented to you. I was part of that along the way. The idea was that there were certain possibilities, but when the numbers came on the table, it turned out to be different. We had to reassess and look at the possibilities within that framework. The only addition is Coulibaly and we go on with this squad."
Van Nistelrooy said "the reality is not always as you wish" and those developments "did not come as a surprise", before adding: "Reality set in and then I'm quite pragmatic - 'OK, let's get on with it and get the most out of what we have'."
On if playing in the FA Cup is a distraction or is welcomed: "It's always welcome. We'll do everything possible to be at our best and it's never a distraction. To play in this cup is a privilege and we want to show what we're about in a fantastic away game at Old Trafford. These games are more than welcome. It's a dream for every player to play there."
Van Nistelrooy will return to United having had a spell as interim manager earlier this season: "It's special to go back there, with the history as a player, an assistant manager and caretaker manager. It is part of me and always will be, but the focus is on my players and my team, to get the best of them and show what we're about."
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