Gary Neville's 'impossible' fear for Ruud van Nistelrooy as he recommends Man Utd changes

Gary Neville believes faces an 'impossible' task in making an impact as interim boss following dismissal.

In a long-expected move, , after slumping to a season's beginning on par with their last campaign - despite an win in May.

Van Nistelrooy, , now steps up from his assistant role for United's upcoming League Cup clash against on Wednesday, as .

However, as the Dutchman looks to stake his claim at Old Trafford, ex-United defender Neville shared his doubts about the possibility of Van Nistelrooy imprinting his style on the squad so quickly.

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Speaking on Sky Sports News, Neville addressed whether Van Nistelrooy could instil a swift identity change: "It would be almost impossible for him wouldn't it to do that in the next few days. I can't think that he's going to have [time]," he stated.

"What's he going to be able to do? He can set the team up differently, that's something that could happen, he can make the team slightly different. But he's been on the bench with Erik ten Hag, so I'd be amazed if there was something drastic that happened in the next few days and games that he's got to manage.

"I think that ultimately there's quite a lot of work that needs to be done with those players, as at this moment in time, they're desperately struggling.

"Erik ten Hag's not been able to get a consistent level of performance out of them, and a lot of those players now are his players. He was backed in the summer, and that ultimately is a big factor in this Ruud van Nistelrooy will do his very best."

Neville then offered some tactical advice to the interim manager, hinting that a shift to a three-man defence could benefit the team, reports .

"I have thought for a number of months, looking at the players that United have, they may be better suited to going three at the back, just purely because of the lack of a centre-back pairing and the full-backs there look better going forward than they do defensively," Neville added.

"Maybe that could happen, maybe that might give them a bit more comfort as it would give them an extra body at the back but also for the players it would be a system whereby they've got more support.

"Whether Ruud does that and that's the right way to go, I'm not sure. We'll see against Leicester on Wednesday night whether he believed in what Erik was doing because he'll pick a different team if he didn't."

The club released a statement suggesting Van Nistelrooy may not be their long-term solution, declaring: "Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited."

However, if he beats the odds and revitalises the squad with a tactical flair, as Neville doubts anyone can, he might just become a key contender when it's time to make a final decision. On the flip side, former head coach Xavi looms as a prime candidate for the permanent post.

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