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Burnley could be about to miss out on one of their leading candidates for their managerial vacancy.

Burnley snap up highly-rated youngster following Arsenal release after Norwich C...

Dutch newspaper AD claim that Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to be named as an assistant manager to Erik ten Hag at his former club Manchester United.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who first reported the United links on Sunday, also claims the former striker’s surprise return to Old Trafford is “advancing fast”.

The 47-year-old was favourite with the bookies to take over at Turf Moor as recently as this morning but has since drifted out to fourth.

Acting head coach Craig Bellamy now tops the betting ahead of West Brom boss Carlos Corberan and Scott Parker.

Bellamy, meanwhile, is also among the frontrunners for the Wales vacancy following Rob Page’s recent axing.

Last week Dutch outlet De Telegraaf claimed van Nistelrooy was close to agreeing a “multi-year contract” to succeed Vincent Kompany as Burnley boss.

EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS - FEBRUARY 23: Ruud van Nistelrooy of PSV Eindhoven, looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off leg two match between PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla FC at Phillips Stadium on February 23, 2023 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Frederic Scheidemann/Getty Images)

While van Nistelrooy was a candidate for the role, the Burnley Express was told those reports were wide of the mark and no deal was close.

The Dutchman has been out of work since resigning as the manager of PSV Eindhoven in May 2023, citing a lack of support.

He enjoyed a 65 per cent win rate during his 14-month spell at the club, where he also won the Dutch Cup and finished second in the Eredivisie.

Prior to that, van Nistelrooy had worked his way up through the coaching ranks in PSV’s academy system while also working as an assistant to Guus Hiddink with the Dutch national team.

It’s claimed Burnley are keen to identify a big name for their vacancy and van Nistelrooy certainly fits that criteria, having played for both Man Utd and Real Madrid during a stellar 19-year playing career.

He scored almost 100 goals during his 150 appearances for the Red Devils, before scoring a further 46 goals in 68 games for Real. He also played for Hamburg and Malaga, having started his career in the Netherlands with Den Bosch, Heerenveen and PSV.

The Clarets have been on the lookout for a new manager since Kompany left to take over at Bayern Munich on May 30.

New favourite for Burnley job as leading candidate set to make Manchester United return - reports