Leicester City sent clear Ruud van Nistelrooy ‘sacking’ message ahead of tough Arsenal test

Latest Leicester City news from LeicestershireLive as club hierarchy urged to stick with man they hired in November despite poor run of results

Leicester City have been told to stick with manager Ruud van Nistelrooy even if they are relegated back to the Championship come the end of the season.

The Dutchman replaced Steve Cooper as Foxes boss in late November, but has seen his team struggle to move clear of the Premier League drop zone. Leicester are currently on a run of one win in their last 10 top-flight games and have lost eight of them, leaving them third from bottom of the table and two points from safety.

They have the respite of an FA Cup clash at Manchester United on Friday (8pm) before resuming Premier League duties by hosting title-chasers Arsenal on February 15 (12.30pm), but old boy Stan Collymore insists van Nistelrooy deserves time at the King Power Stadium and that it would be “ridiculous” to replace him.

The former City striker and now pundit told William Hill Vegas: “It would be ridiculous if Ruud van Nistelrooy lost his job at Leicester. There’s an argument that neither van Nistelrooy nor Steve Cooper had the track record to be confident enough that either man could keep them in the Premier League.

“But you don’t hire Cooper or van Nistelrooy unless you’re prepared to give them a chance to do the job properly. Even if Leicester get relegated, I wouldn’t sack van Nistelrooy. There’s got to be some kind of stability and plan at the club, which has not been there for two or three years. So, van Nistelrooy must keep his job.”

Collymore, who scored five goals in 11 games for the Foxes after joining them on a pay-as-you-play basis in February 2000, fears his old club will damage their reputation if they keep sacking managers.