Van Nistelrooy has ‘clear view’ of what Leicester need in January window

Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy believes the club’s results in December have given him a “clear view” of where the Foxes need to strengthen their squad during the January transfer window as they battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Van Nistelrooy, in charge for just over a month, made a bright start to his reign as Leicester boss but the Foxes have since lost four straight games to drop into the relegation zone and next play Aston Villa on Saturday.

Leicester are a far cry from the side that achieved a fairytale Premier League title victory in 2016 as they lie second bottom and are two points from safety.

Van Nistelrooy, who was briefly Manchester United caretaker manager this season before Ruben Amorim took over following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, found himself overseeing Leicester’s busy festive fixture schedule.

A woeful 3-0 loss at home to Wolves suggested Leicester were well on their way back to the Championship but there were grounds for optimism in how the side performed during defeats by leaders Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City.

“When I came in we reassessed the current squad and I wanted to see them in December — getting to know the players,” said Van Nistelrooy during a pre-match press conference.

“We (Van Nistelrooy and the board) are aligned with that from the very start, in the first conversations before I signed and right before December, and into the window we are clear in certain options and the right ones for us to help strengthen.

“The December month gave a clear view for me what positions the team needs help and improvement.

“But it’s important to keep that behind closed doors because we don’t want to weaken ourselves in the position to do business.”

Aston Villa will be without the suspended duo Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers while Pau Torres is also likely to miss out.

Nevertheless, 48-year-old Van Nistelrooy dismissed suggestions that now was a good time to play Villa.

“Leon Bailey will be back from injury and they’ve got Tyrone Mings back,” he said.

“They have a squad with two top players in every position so they will have a top team out there on Saturday so it’s for us to be prepared to face them.”