The Leicester boss has overseen a run of 14 defeats in 15 Premier League games that has left the club staring down the barrel of relegation. The good news is that van Nistelrooy had no new injuries to report on Thursday as he welcomed the return of Ricardo Pereira. However, more importantly he was asked if he’d ever experienced form like this, as the Foxes continue to crumble.
“It’s the first time, thank God. It’s something I feel that I want to go through this with this team, with the squad, with the staff.
“Stay together, stay connected with them, fight ourselves through this as people and give energy every day to get ourselves out of this.
“For me it’s not something where I feel I want to run away from. I want to be part of this and I want to fight for this with the squad. That’s every day. So that’s also leading into Monday’s game. It’s another opportunity for us and we can only hope for some support in our own stadium.”
Van Nistelrooy then revealed that he optimistic and that his side have a duty to the supporters to keep giving 100% even when their fate is sealed.
“We have to live in reality,” he said. “Twelve points in eight games and a goal difference that is a lot worse, so that’s another point. It’s huge.
“Mathematically, it’s not over and we have the obligation to keep going. But also when it’s mathematically over, we still have the obligation to keep going.
“We’re not going to stop. We always have that obligation. We feel we want to defend the club and the badge and our own personal pride to show that we’re capable of getting results in this league and doing better than we’re doing. That’s what we’re looking for.”
A win would make them level on points with Ipswich Town and therefore 9 points away from West Ham United. Relegation seems inevitable but Leicester remain hopeful they can stay up this season as they aim for another Premier League miracle.