Albert the kit-man offers advice to boot

Manchester United kit-man Albert Morgan has emerged as an unlikely key component of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s phenomenal goalscoring run.

The flying Dutchman has found the net an incredible 80 times in two years since his £18.5m (€25,9m) move from PSV Eindhoven and took only seven minutes of pre-season to hit the target, firing home United’s opener in their 4-0 friendly triumph over Celtic in Seattle on Tuesday.

Yet despite the undoubted talent of van Nistelrooy, the wisdom of Morgan - with his inside knowledge of the Old Trafford dressing room – has been vital in the development of the new Nike boots which become so lethal when they adorns van Nistelrooy’s feet.

“Albert’s input is invaluable when we are dealing with Manchester United players because he can give us an insight into what they are saying about their boots on a day-to-day basis,” said Bob Coombes, the English-born Category Football Leader at Nike’s impressive US headquarters in Portland.

“He knows all the nuances, and it’s amazing how much you can learn from one little chat.

“The more players get to know about the boots they wear, the more demanding they get and Ruud is no exception.”

Coombes dismissed the theory that the growing number of foot injuries, including David Beckham’s famous broken metatarsal, have come as a direct result of boot manufacturers’ obsession with reducing the weight, insisting there is little that can be done to safeguard against a high-impact tackle.

“It’s not weight versus safety because there is very little you can do to take the impact of a tackle which is strong enough to break someone’s foot,” he said.

“Some players prefer heavier boots because they believe it offers them more protection, some want lighter ones because of the speed factor.

“You are only talking about fractions but everyone is looking for an edge and it is our job to provide it.”