Great news: Sorry its a bit long!
Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has said he wants to spend the rest of his playing career at Old Trafford.
The Dutch forward is due to return to the side on Saturday, against Everton in the FA Cup, after being out of action since November with an Achilles injury. He told Soccer Digest magazine he'd felt right at home at United after joining the club in a £19-million move from PSV Eindhoven back in 2001.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson kept faith with the marksman despite having to wait a year after an initial attempt to bring van Nistelrooy to England failed when the player sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury.
"I feel at home in a place with such strong traditions. I don't see why I shouldn't spend the rest of my playing days here," van Nistelrooy said. "The moment I signed my five-year contract, the chairman at the time, Martin Edwards, took me to the boardroom where a directors' meeting was in progress.
"'Gentlemen,' he said when he opened the door, 'may I present to you our new centre-forward, Ruud Van Nistelrooy.' They all stood and congratulated me. "I shook hands with all of them, Sir Bobby Charlton last of all. When he said: 'Glad you're finally here, son', I got goose bumps all over my body."
"When I drive down the road to Old Trafford, between two church towers in the distance, I can already see the two biggest stands. When I close my eyes, I can recall that mental picture no matter where I am. I turn into Sir Matt Busby Way and cross the square full of fans. Whenever a player's car passes, the square bubbles with excitement."
"People faint just because they'd seen a Manchester United player in the flesh. I saw life-size posters of myself in newspapers and I had not even played a single game for the club. The size of this club is incomprehensible.Giving less then 100 percent is not really an option for me. As the years have gone by, I have started to take football more and more seriously. I try to do the maximum for every match."
"I work hard, I train hard and I prepare myself in detail for every game. I do everything to create the perfect circumstances to perform as well as possible. "I have that same drive every time. I never for a minute think things will happen naturally. Nothing comes naturally to me. I do not belong in that exceptional class of player that can operate occasionally at less than 100 percent. I know I would not get away with that."
Van Nistelrooy said Dutch great Ruud Gullit had helped him improve his game. "When I was younger, I tended to want to score beautiful goals. "But a funny thing happened. Ruud Gullit did his coaching apprenticeship at one of my former clubs, Heerenveen, when I was playing there.
"I remember lobbing a shot that hit the crossbar and proudly looked at Gullit: 'Nice one, eh?' "All he said was: 'It certainly was nice, but it should have gone in.' Although it was simple, he was right — he was absolutely right." | 
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