Alex Ferguson is confident Ruud van Nistelrooy will return to the prolific goalscoring ways of his first three seasons at Manchester United following his hat-trick against Royal Antwerp last night.
Although he scored five goals in United’s first two pre-season outings, Van Nistelrooy struggled badly for form on the Red Devils’ recent Far East tour.
There he failed to find the target and became embroiled in two separate spats with opposition players, as well as a major row with Rio Ferdinand.
However, his three-timer in a comfortable 6-1 win over the Belgian Second Division outfit last night confirmed his well being.
Ferguson knows Van Nistelrooy has found his shooting boots at exactly the right time. “Ruud’s overall play in pre-season has been really good,” said Ferguson.
“He got in behind the Antwerp defence two or three times, which was good news. But we all know he is the type of person that goals are the most important thing in his life. When he is scoring, it is hard for him to stop.”
Van Nistelrooy’s well-being further quells talk of a move for Michael Owen.
Ferguson has resisted the temptation to discuss the subject but United officials continue to insist no move for the England striker is imminent, even though his agent Tony Stephens met Old Trafford chief executive David Gill on Tuesday on separate business.
Other than the now-expected abuse directed at Rio Ferdinand from his own supporters, it was a good night all round for United, with Roy Keane enjoying his first 90 minutes back with the senior squad after missing the Asian tour with a hamstring complaint.
“Roy got through the full 90 minutes, which was the most important thing,” said Ferguson. “He didn’t flag at any stage and I thought he coped with it very well.”
Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher added to Van Nistelrooy’s goal contribution to ensure there were few complaints among a 15,000 crowd.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was involved in a face-to-face row with team-mate Rio Ferdinand after Manchester United lost their pre-season friendly against Kashima Antlers in Tokyo.
Dutch striker van Nistelrooy, who was involved in ugly incidents with opposition players during the first two matches of the tour, turned on his team-mate at the National Stadium after the 2-1 defeat.
Pointing the finger: Ruud van Nistelrooy faces Rio Ferdinand after the game
Van Nistelrooy has yet to score on United's Far East trip and his frustration came to the fore again close to the end of the contest when Ferdinand hesitated over a routine pass from the halfway line and allowed himself to be tackled.
The incident brought angry gesticulating from van Nistelrooy, who had been lurking on the edge of the area.
His anger had clearly still not subsided by the final whistle as he clashed with Ferdinand, who exchanged obscenities over the matter.
The incident also capped a troublesome night for Ferdinand, who was booed and barracked during the game by at least one English-speaking United supporter in the 40,000 crowd.
It is doubtful whether Ferdinand heard the obscenity as it was delivered high up in the stands, but it is a reminder of the fate which could await him when the new season gets under way in a fortnight.
The England defender was heckled during the pre-season friendly wins at Clyde and Peterborough by United supporters angry at his refusal to sign a lucrative £100,000-a-week contract.
Despite dominating much of the second half against Kashima, United had already missed half a dozen decent chances when Park Ji-Sung blazed the best opportunity of all over the crossbar from six yards eight minutes from time, leaving Ferguson's men to watch their 100 per cent pre-season record slip away with the earthquake that rippled through the National Stadium midway through the first half.
Striker Masashi Motoyama scored the goals for Kashima with Ryan Giggs replying for United.
RUUD VAN NISTELROOY has revealed how he will use his season from hell as the motivation to prove he is still the most lethal striker in the Premiership.
After a campaign blighted by injuries and operations, the only thing the Dutchman is nursing now is a bruised ego - and a burning desire to demonstrate that at the age of 29 he remains the master of the goalscoring art.
A return of six Premiership goals last term is a statistic that makes Van Nistelrooy cringe, despite the fact that he still finished as top scorer in the Champions League.
And now the man who has taken various Old Trafford goalscoring records from the likes of Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and Andy Cole in the four years since Sir Alex Ferguson paid PSV Eindhoven £19million for him faces the biggest challenge of his career.
Van Nistelrooy said: "As a striker goals are very important to me but perhaps the biggest goal I have this season is to get back to the form I showed during my first three seasons at United.
"I missed out on pre-season last year and it was the start of my nightmare. I never got back to being 100 per cent fit, never had the basic fitness to get through an entire season, and because of that I kept getting injured.
"It wasn't a good time for me and I got down about it. My time at United had been spent on a constant high and there were times when I thought, 'Jesus, this is absolutely terrible'.
"But I look back now and think that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that I got a reality check.
"Sure, I only scored six goals in the Premiership, but overall I think I got 16 goals from 25 starts in all competitions and finished as top scorer in the Champions League.
"I think it says everything about the standards I had set in previous years that it was seen as a bad season. But I do accept that the challenge for me now is to get back to where I was - and to stay there.
"I think I can reach that level again. My drive, the biggest goal I have got, is to reach those heights again and that's why I am doing everything possible to get there.
"This summer has felt like a fresh start for me. I have worked hard, I live for my sport like I have always done, and this season I hope I will get my rewards once more.
"Having said that, personal glories don't mean anything to me if the team isn't doing well.
"My best season for United was two years ago when we won the League and I was top scorer. When everything comes together like that, it's a great feeling."
Rumours persist that if he had maintained his sensational form last season Van Nistelrooy would now be in Madrid or Milan rather than Manchester.
Twelve months after he was being courted by a host of the continent's finest clubs, Van Nistelrooy's name was suddenly erased from the wish lists of Europe's rich and famous.
But Van Nistelrooy added: "The speculation about me leaving United does hurt me because I am fully committed to the club.
"I just hope that the fans and the people at United believe me when I say that my loyalty has never been in question.
"When I am linked with other clubs I worry what the fans are thinking about me. I don't enjoy having my commitment questioned.
"No one knows more than me what I can bring to United. My big motivation now is to prove it.
"I train every day for one reason - to get the best I can out of myself for the good of the club."
Ruud van Nistelrooy believes Manchester United's extended pre-season schedule will prove beneficial once the season kicks off.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought his players back a week earlier this summer in a bid to ensure they are quickly out of the traps when the new season begins.
A stuttering start cost The Red Devils dear last time around and The Scot is keen not to allow a repeat performance.
Van Nistelrooy feels the players are already reaping the rewards with improved fitness levels and is looking forward to the club's Asian tour.
"We are definitely further on than we were a year ago," said the Dutchman.
"We have had a great three-and-a-half weeks so far, 90 percent of the squad is fit and this tour will push a bit further on.
"It is bound to be physically demanding, we are playing four games in nine days and then you have all the travelling and the conditions to take into account as well.
"But we will go back fitter than when we came and we will be a better side because of it."
The former PSV Eindhoven was some way from his prolific best last term - due in no small part to injuries - but is confident he can recapture his most deadly form when the season kicks off in August.
"Scoring goals is the best feeling in football," he continued.
"But the main thing is that I am fit and able to train and play matches without suffering any reaction, which I wasn't able to do last year.
"When you are not 100 percent, it is hard to reach your potential.
"Confidence is such a major part of a striker's armour. When you feel confident, you are bound to do better."
Ruud back in top form with hat-trick
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