Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy is adamant he has seen signs of significant Manchester United improvement under Ruben Amorim.
United have had their struggles since the Portuguese took over following Van Nistelrooy’s short but successful spell as interim manager, which included two victories over his new club.
The two sides met in the FA Cup in February and United needed an offside goal in the final minute to earn a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
There appear to be green shoots of recovery under Amorim – they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday night – and Van Nistelrooy insists they are a better side than the one Leicester played last month.
‘It’s important to realise that we played the cup game away, not so long ago,” he said ahead of Sunday’s visit of United.
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‘I think United is in a better place than at the time that we played in the cup.
‘They had a very good game against Arsenal and yesterday, they were very strong. Obviously, it’s a great boost that they’re in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
‘That’s a great boost and a good win.’
Skipper Bruno Fernandes has come under-fire in recent weeks in his role as captain, but Van Nistelrooy has noticed the United captain’s form appears to be mirroring that of his improving side.
‘Bruno (Fernandes) is in great form, scoring a hat-trick and then scored the free-kick against Arsenal, so very decisive in that team,’ he said.
‘So, it’s a team that I think got some momentum going, especially after yesterday. It’s definitely a team that is in a better place than when we played them in the FA Cup.’
Leicester’s plight is not looking as positive as they are on a seemingly-irreversible slide to Premier League relegation.
They have lost 12 of their last 13 games and are six points adrift of safety.
But Van Nistelrooy admitted results were not matching performances.
He added: ‘We showed against Chelsea, we showed up, we were there. I think if you saw us playing and you don’t know any context, then you would see a team and say, ‘OK, this is a proper team”
‘A positive result would do us really good. That is really clear, it’s what we’re working for and what we took from the Chelsea game.
‘It’s what we’ve worked on this week to develop the structures we’ve put in place. We were able to build on that and bring it into Sunday’s game.
‘With the (international) break, it would give a good boost to get a positive result.’
A kind community rallied after a man jumped from a burning building with a baby tucked into his boxer shorts to save the little one’s life.
The incident on Thursday saw emergency services rushed to Lochawe Close in Heywood, Greater Manchester, at around 3pm.
Fire crews responded to a blaze that tore through four flats and led to three people being taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
Residents reported having to jump down from the building to escape the flames.
One local said they saw a man leap from the burning first floor flat and onto the ground with a baby, reported to be just five months old, tucked into his boxer shorts.
Anthony Wright, 34, said he saw his neighbour after he had leapt out of the building with his child.
The neighbour told Mr Wright both he and the child were ‘fine’.
He said: ‘The first thing I said was to ask if he was OK and he said they were fine.
‘I definitely wanted to make sure they are alright. This community is really tight.’
Mr Wright told the Manchester Evening News, said he also had to jump down from the first floor.
He said: ‘I’ve seen black embers outside the window and I’ve looked out of the window and people were waving at me. I didn’t know why they were waving.
‘I’ve gone to my front door and I’ve seen black smoke.
‘I’ve slammed the door. I kicked my window through [and] I’ve jumped out.’
Another resident, Liam Hughes, 35, said: ‘I was in the shops and saw the smoke and ran up there, banging on the windows to get everyone out.
‘If I had not gone there it could have been a lot worse. None of them had any clothes on.’
Residents on a local Facebook group titled ‘Heywood Town’ appeared to rally around a young family caught up in the incident.
One local wrote that they took a young woman and her boyfriend and baby ‘in my house to keep them safe’.
Other generous residents responded by offering support by providing nappies and clothes.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: ‘At just before 2.55pm on Thursday (March 13) GMFRS were called to a fire involving four maisonette flats on Lochawe Close, Heywood.
‘A number of fire engines and special appliances were quickly mobilised to the scene with surrounding properties evacuated.
‘Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used jets to extinguish the fire and are dampening down any remaining hot spots.
‘Crews remain in attendance alongside Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service.’
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