How Enzo Maresca and Ruud van Nistelrooy know each other before Man United vs Chelsea

Chelsea and Manchester United have one of the most storied rivalries in Premier League history, but there’s even more history in the pile as they go head-to-head.

As the Blues look to end their 11-year winless streak at Old Trafford, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca reunites with a friend in the dugout.

That friend is Man United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, who holds the job until Ruben Amorim takes up his role after the international break in November.

The Dutchman began his short reign with a 5-2 thrashing of Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, the same night he Chelsea are out of the competition with a loss to Newcastle.

He now steps into the dugout for his second game at Old Trafford, facing Maresca’s Chelsea side, who are looking for their first win at the stadium since 2013.

When Van Nistelrooy was announced as interim manager at Man United, Maresca offered his congratulations and opened up about his history with the former United striker, revealing how they know each other.

“He’s a friend of mine,” he said. “We played together. We spent time together at Malaga. We still have relations.

“I’ll hug him before the game on Sunday.”

Maresca continued to open up on Van Nitelrooyadmitting that she is a “fantastic” person and someone she gets along with well.

“I hope it’s a good time. I hope so. He is a fantastic guy, humble, very professional.

“Unfortunately, I shared a time with him when he was already done – but even then you could see how good he was.

“We had a good group at the time with Malaga, so it’s always nice to remember that moment.”

Van Nistelrooy joined Malaga in 2011, making 28 league appearances for the club, scoring just four goals – justifying Maresca’s witty comment about the Dutchman.

Maresca also joined the Spanish side in the same season, making 39 appearances and scoring the same number of goals as Van Nistelrooy, despite playing in midfield.

Malaga qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history with Maresca and Van Nistelrooy as part of their squad before the pair left after just one season at the club.

Four years Van Nistelrooy’s junior, Maresca continued his career, returning to his native Italy with a move to Sampdoria as the Dutchman retired from football.

Now, their paths crossed again in opposite corners.