Tom Heaton insists former Manchester United man Ruud van Nistelrooy is the greatest striker he's ever faced.
Van Nistelrooy only won one Premier League title in five years at United but the Dutch striker was lauded for his clinical finishing. Only once did he fail to break the 20-goal barrier, registering 150 in 2019 appearances across all competitions.
Having arrived from PSV Eindhoven in 2001, Van Nistelrooy wasted no time in proving his finishing capabilities and was comfortably the club's best finisher during that five-year spell. And Heaton agreed that the Reds frontman was as good as they came - and he put another ex-United man in the top-three.
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“There have been some fantastic strikers in the Premier League," Heaton told MUTV when asked for the best he’s faced. “I'm going to say Ruud van Nistelrooy. I can’t remember if I actually played against him but I worked with him an awful lot and his finishing was absolutely incredible.
“My favourite finisher of all time is Ruud van Nistelrooy. Just like a dart - bottom left, bottom right, top left, top right. It didn’t matter where the goalkeeper was, it was going in one of those corners. So good at it.
“Closely followed by Harry Kane and then probably Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.”
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Solskjaer was already part of the furniture at United when Van Nistelrooy joined in 2001, having signed from Molde in 1996. The Norwegian international was famed for his super-sub impact and registered 126 goals in 266 appearances for the Reds.
Kane could have worn the red of United, having been identified as Erik ten Hag's prime No.9 target over the summer. But Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy remained insistent on not dealing with a Premier League rival, eventually selling the England striker to Bayern Munich for upwards of £100million.