More from Oliver kay in The Times:
It has emerged that he informed Sir Alex Ferguson 12 months ago that he wished to leave Old Trafford and, although he was talked round by the United manager on that occasion, the 29-year-old is described as being in a fragile state as he ponders the significance of his fall from favour over the past few weeks.
Since being chastised by Ferguson for giving up on a loose ball in the dying seconds of the FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Liverpool on February 18, Van Nistelrooy has played only 34 minutes of football for United, being relegated to the substitutes’ bench for the past three matches, most notably for the Carling Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic last month.
Ferguson has attempted to make light of the issue by referring to "all this stupid talk in the papers", but he is increasingly aware that he is running the risk of antagonising a sensitive soul, whom he had to persuade to stay at Old Trafford last spring when the Dutchman talked of leaving to pursue a new challenge in Spain or Italy.
Sources close to Ferguson maintain that he wants Van Nistelrooy to spend the rest of his career at United, but also that the forward is under pressure to accept that he will not be an automatic first choice alongside Wayne Rooney in attack. The return to fitness of Louis Saha has prompted the United manager to review his options in attack, with Van Nistelrooy, largely unchallenged since his arrival from PSV Eindhoven in 2001, being told that he must adapt to the new realities of squad rotation.
It was suggested yesterday that Ferguson will offer Van Nistelrooy a new three-year contract worth £90,000 a week, but the player’s agent, Rodger Linse, said last night that he knew nothing of such a proposal.
"I’m not aware of any discussion about a new contract," Linse said. "No one has contacted me about this. All I can deal with are the facts and the fact is that Ruud has two more years on his contract. There is nothing more to say."