‘It is a massive, massive task to keep this side up’

Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown says going into Leicester “is a massive task” for Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman was there to watch his new club lose 4-1 to Brentford on Saturday, as defender Conor Coady described the team as being “in a dark place”.

“It seems a real mess and Van Nistelrooy has a lot to learn quickly,” said Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast. “He had a nice rosy start at Manchester United but he is right in the deep end here.”

Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker added: “The first thing he has to do is get the dressing room reunited and on the same page. Forget the fans and everything else because he needs to get those players on side.

“One thing he probably learned from watching them this weekend was that they cannot play a back three. They were all over the place.

“In these situations the best thing he can do is get them to go back to basics and sometimes you have to butter up players to get the confidence back into them.

“It is a massive, massive task to keep this Leicester side up, but I think they have just about got enough to do it.”