Premiership: Beware - Run

Ruud van Nistelrooy today crowned a record-breaking week - and again showed why he is the Premiership’s deadliest goalscorer.

Last Sunday, the Dutchman scored in seven consecutive games, hitting two against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

And today he become the first player to score in open play in seven successive Premiership matches when he netted against Southampton.

Newcastle striker Alan Shearer (1996-97) and Arsenal hitman Thierry Henry (2000-01) also managed the feat, while Mark Stein did it in 1993-94 but their tallies included penalties.

Van Nistelrooy received his best birthday present ever on July 1- officially becoming a United player.

After 15 agonising months, on the day of his 25th birthday he finally achieved his dream of joining United.

There could have been no better gift for van Nistelrooy after he had feared the transfer had collapsed for good when he failed a medical and injured his knee in April 2000.

Then United called off the £18.5m deal with PSV Eindhoven just minutes before van Nistelrooy was due to be paraded at a press conference at Old Trafford. A distraught van Nistelrooy was hurriedly driven back to his Cheshire hotel before flying home to Holland the next day.

The Dutch international striker’s agony was compounded a couple of days later when he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury in training.

But Alex Ferguson stated he would still like to sign van Nistelrooy if he could make a full recovery and visited the player in Holland. Buoyed by this backing, van Nistelrooy flew to America for surgery on his knee before beginning the long road back to fitness.

He made his comeback for PSV in March and by April he had recovered sufficiently for United to fork out a British record transfer fee of £19m.

Van Nistelrooy has admitted being indebted to Ferguson and United for their unstinting support throughout his rehabilitation.

‘‘It was a big support,’’ he said. ‘‘When you get support from the club and all the people at the club that helped me to fight back and come back stronger.

‘‘Mr Ferguson came to visit me in Eindhoven soon after the injury and that was very special for me.

‘‘We talked about players who had had the same injury and the way they had come back.

"We talked about my rehabilitation and about how I should come back. He was warm and friendly and that made a big impression on me.

‘‘From then on he would phone me every four weeks. When you get support like that from people it gives you a good feeling.

‘‘I had so much support, also from the fans of Manchester United, and that was really nice.’’

Van Nistelrooy was so smitten by United that not even the chance of joining Real Madrid could dissuade him from coming to Old Trafford.

He was flattered by Real’s late bid, but for him there was only one club.

‘‘For me there was no choice to make and it was very easy for me,’’ he said. ‘‘It never crossed my mind, although I know Real Madrid were very serious.

‘‘But by then I had my heart set on Manchester United. I was here last year and I had a really good feeling for Manchester United. This club is perfect for me.

‘‘Manchester United are a club who want to win every trophy there is.

‘‘My personal goals are the same and so that’s why I am so happy to join a club with such big goals for the future.’’

United will be hoping van Nistelrooy can make the same impact in England as his Dutch team-mate Jaap Stam did when he joined from PSV in 1998.

Van Nistelrooy certainly has the pedigree to succeed and he has drawn the predictable comparisons with Dutch goalscoring legend Marco van Basten, who was his boyhood hero along with Diego Maradona.

He feels being likened to van Basten can have its disadvantages and advantages and said: ‘‘It’s unfair because I don’t think there will ever be another player like him.

‘‘But I’m flattered also and if you have a little bit of him I think you could be magnificent.’’