Ruud van Nistelrooy reveals son’s name was inspired by former Man Utd team-mate who tragically died

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY named his son after a former Manchester United team-mate who has passed away.

The Leicester boss played at Old Trafford between 2001 and 2006 and had many big-name team-mates to draw inspiration from.

YouTube/The OverlapRuud Van Nistelrooy told The Overlap his son is named after Liam Miller[/caption] News Group Newspapers LtdMiller passed away in 2018 following a battle with cancer[/caption] Liam van Nistelrooy has penned his first professional contractInstagram @psv

But one player who left a bigger mark than most was Liam Miller, who died in 2018 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Van Nistelrooy, 48, revealed he called his son Liam, who was born in 2008, after playing with the midfielder at United.

He told The Overlap: “We played with Liam at United. Liam Miller.

“I remember that name and I liked the name.”

Van Nistelrooy confirmed it was Miller whom he drew his inspiration from, before going on to share how proud he was of his son.

Miller, who made 22 appearances for United, passed away aged 36.

He moved to Old Trafford from Celtic in 2004, joining on a free transfer.

A match was played between the two sides in tribute to Miller following his passing – Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs featured for the Red Devils.

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Liam Van Nistelrooy penned his first professional contract with PSV this month.

The striker has tied down his future to the club his dad played for and managed on a deal until 2028.