Ruud striking out for perfection

ALMOST two years ago to the day, under the closed roof of the Millennium Stadium, Manchester United launched their latest star signing on an unsuspecting domestic audience. Typically he marked his entrance with a goal.

When he returns to Cardiff tomorrow, no-one in the stadium or watching at home on TV will need to be told who Ruud van Nistelrooy is. In a week when the £13million loss made on Juan Sebastian Veron has left some questioning Alex Ferguson’s transfer record, the brilliance of United’s Dutch master stands as testament to his manager’s judgement.

“He is already a great player and he is still improving. Without doubt he has the potential to become one of the greatest Dutch strikers of all time.”

The words of Frank Rijkaard, who was a team-mate of the great Marco van Basten and coached van Nistelrooy when manager of Holland, are a glowing tribute indeed.

“Mentally, he is absolutely fantastic,” said Rijkaard. “He is always looking for the goal and more often than not he seems to find it. More than that, he is a great team player, which is so important. If you can have that and be successful as well, it’s a pretty good combination.

“I also believe he is still improving. He is stronger now, and cleverer. He is 27, so it should be another couple of years before he reaches his peak. If that is true, the end result will be staggering.”

Since van Nistelrooy’s arrival from PSV Eindhoven, he has not just exceeded expectations, he has surpassed almost every record set before him. Last term he was just two goals short of equalling Denis Law’s 46-goal record for a single campaign. As it was, his penalty in the final game at Everton saw van Nistelrooy become the first United player to score in 10 successive games and equal his own Premiership record of netting in eight consecutive matches. In total he has scored 80 times in 101 appearances.

Chief executive Peter Kenyon has declared the Dutch striker “priceless” and Ferguson, along with every United fan, must shudder at the thought of van Nistelrooy picking up a long-term injury, such as the ruptured cruciate ligament he sustained within days of his United move initially collapsing in 2000.

Whether it was making Stanislav Varga look foolish against Celtic, launching an unstoppable volley past Gigi Buffon against Juventus, or dancing round the Barcelona defence in Philadelphia, van Nistelrooy’s true class was a joy to behold on the recent US tour. Until he drew a blank in his 12-minute appearance against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, he had scored in 14 successive United games.

“I analyse every training session and every game to see what I did well and what I could have done that little bit better,” he said. “I have always said the ideal striker is someone who can do the jobs of a number nine and number 10. I can improve in that sense. I have two years’ experience in the Premiership and I hope that will give me the extra I want to bring to the team next year.

“I want to learn but don’t compare me with van Basten, he was just different class. I want to leave a legacy at United though. I want the fans to look back on my time at Old Trafford and say ‘he was okay’.”

It is the kind of modesty which highlights van Nistelrooy’s approach to his job. He will never court publicity like David Beckham but he just can’t stop hogging the headlines.