Ruud van Nistelrooy strode to the center circle and basked in the glory of Old Trafford as Manchester United’s manager for the final time.

Then he stepped up to the Stretford End and reciprocated the fans’ adulation, who had spent much of the second half singing his name, before going down the tunnel. Now it’s your turn, Ruben.

‘It was a wonderful experience to be able to share that with the fans,’ said Van Nistelrooy. ‘This block of four games seemed like a conclusion, and the future is open.’

It remains to be known what happens next for Van Nistelrooy, but we should know soon.

When United’s head coach lands in Manchester on Monday, he is anticipated to meet with Ruben Amorim to discuss the possibilities of a role in the new setup.

Bruno Fernandes scored as Manchester United defeated Leicester City 3-0 at Old Trafford.

Fernandes opened the score in the first half following Amad Diallo’s excellent backward flick.

Ruud van Nistelrooy saluted the Old Trafford crowd in the last match of his temporary term.

Ruud waves goodbye following his last game as interim Manchester United manager.

After all, United haven’t had a lot of success in the recent decade. A man who understands a thing or two about the club and has gone four games unbeaten as temporary manager should be worth keeping around.

Van Nistelrooy will pass over the reins with a record of three victories and one tie, making him theoretically the most successful manager in United’s history (75% win ratio). There were 11 goals scored and three conceded. This is one of the reasons Amorim wants to retain him on board. On the other hand, it’s an excellent excuse to keep him as far away as possible.

‘When I started as an interim, the goal was to stabilize and make little changes,’ Van Nistelrooy explained. ‘That’s when you begin to develop your own sense of identity. The last four games provide a foundation of great unity and good attitude.

To be fair, he has played all four of his games since taking over for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. Two of them were against Leicester, and one against a small European opponent, PAOK Salonika. The tie occurred against Chelsea.

After the international break, Amorim will face Ipswich at Portman Road, where they will not have the advantage of being at home.

Still, he inherits a confident, if not Premier League-caliber, team. This victory was insufficient to propel United out of 13th position.

Van Nistelrooy has only been in charge for a few weeks, but there are signs of improvement throughout the United team.

Fernandes took aim from the edge of the box and selected the bottom corner with ease.

United’s captain contributed to the second goal, as his flick deflected off Victor Kristiansen.

Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen was helpless when Fernandes’ shot caught a crazy nick.

Amad Diallo, for example, is enjoying a new lease on life and provided another lively display today after scoring two goals against PAOK on Thursday.

Casemiro looked more like his usual self before limping off at the end, while Manuel Ugarte is settling into his role beside the Brazilian in midfield. United is attacking with purpose and defending leads better than they did under the previous management.

However, no one has picked up like Bruno Fernandes. The United captain admitted that he called Ten Hag to apologize for letting him down after failing to score in any of the Dutchman’s previous 17 games dating back to April.

His opener against Leicester on Sunday was his fourth in four appearances under Van Nistelrooy. He was only denied a fifth goal because United’s second goal before halftime was credited as an own goal by Victor Kristiansen. The Portugal international also marked his 250th appearance for United by assisting on Alejandro Garnacho’s third goal.

The first came in the 17th minute, thanks largely to Diallo’s perseverance after a Leicester corner was cleared towards halfway. Kristiansen was the final guy and favourite to reach the bouncing ball before the 5ft 8in Ivorian, but Amad took advantage of a run-up and rose highest.

United broke forward to win the throw-in, with Noussair Mazraoui passing the ball to Fernandes. He fed it to Diallo, who returned the favour with a backheel, before Fernandes curled a shot past Mads Hermansen and into the bottom corner. It was his 83rd goal for United over 250 games.

Leicester lost Jamie Vardy’s penetrating due to a back injury, but they still had their opportunities, despite Wilfred Ndidi’s attempt to beat Andre Onana from within his own half.

Captain Harry Winks had only finished yelling at Ndidi when Facundo Buonanotte slipped the Nigerian clean through and onside with a superb pass, but Onana was up to the task again as he came out to save one-on-one.

Substitute Alejandro Garnacho bent in United’s third goal, adding gloss to the scoreline.

Andre Onana denied Wilfried Ndidi from close range to keep a clean sheet.

Diallo impressed after being given a second consecutive start by Van Nistelrooy.

One teenage supporter held up a banner, imploring Van Nistelrooy to stay ahead of kickoff.

Van Nistelrooy talks about his goodbye at Old Trafford.