Forgotten ex-Premier League star invited to coach at Man Utd thanks to little-known Red Devils link

pPREMIER LEAGUE cult hero Bryan Ruiz, 38, has been invited to coach at Manchester United as he looks to gain work experience before entering football management./p pRuiz spent four years at a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/21977374/fulham-sign-craven-cottage-roof-fxpro-fans/Craven Cottage/a following a move from FC Twente in 2011./p figure id=attachment_23909044 class=wp-caption alignnone style=width: 691pximg decoding=async fetchpriority=high src=https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/fulham-striker-bryan-ruiz-close-118226049.jpg?strip=allamp;w=681 alt= class=alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-23909044 width=681 height=960 /figcaption class=wp-caption-text/figcaptionfigcreditPA:Empics Sport/figcredit/figureRuiz was a cult legend at Fulham[/caption] pThe winger was known for his mercurial qualities which included an excellent first touch an eye for a pass./p pHe would make 107 appearances for the Cottagers before returning to a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/team/5759251/costa-rica/Costa Rica/a to play for LD Alajuelense./p pRuiz only retired last year, after playing in the a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/team/19804764/qatar/Qatar/a 2022 World Cup at the age of 37./p pHis surprise coaching move to a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/team/1196656/manchester-united/Manchester United/a is a result of crossing paths with United assistant Steve McLaren when he was playing at FC Twente./p pRuiz played a starring role in the Twente side that won the title under McLaren in 2010 #8211; which earned him his transfer to the Premier League./p pThe former Costa Rican playmaker has already made his first moves in coaching, as he is now the head coach of Alajuelense#8217;s U-17 side./p pRuiz was back in Twente over the weekend for Wout Brama#8217;s farewell game, which Ten Hag also attended./p pIt was here that Ruiz received the invitation to gain some experience at Carrington./p p class=has-text-align-centerstronga href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/betting/21097803/casino-welcome-bonus/ target=_blank aria-label=CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS (opens in a new tab) rel=noreferrer noopenerCASINO SPECIAL #8211; BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS/a/strong/p pSpeaking to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf after the game, Ruiz said: #8220;I keep myself fit./p p#8220;I go to the gym, I play a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/topic/tennis/tennis/a and padel. The first six months after I stopped, I took completely time off and only spent time with my family. Now I have started as a trainer for the U17 of Deportivo Alajuelense./p p#8220;To find out whether I am good at being a trainer and also whether I enjoy it enough. I have now received an invitation to come and see a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/who/steve-mcclaren/Steve McClaren/a and a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/who/erik-ten-hag/Erik ten Hag/a at Manchester United. Those are fun things to do.#8221;/p pRuiz scored a backheel as FC Twente#8217;s 2010 league winning side drew 2-2 with Brama#8217;s All-Star side on Friday evening./p p class=has-text-align-centerstronga href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/23823324/man-utd-news-live-takeover-antony-amrabat-updates/ target=_blank aria-label= (opens in a new tab) rel=noreferrer noopenerMAN UTD NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with all the latest takeover and transfer news /afrom Old Trafford/strong/p