Ruud van Nistelrooy: I Can Play A Half For Hamburger SV Against Stuttgart

Posted Saturday, February 13, 2010 by Goal.com

After only a few seconds of pitch time against Koeln, the former Manchester United ace is looking for an extended period of playing time on Saturday.

Speaking to Voetbal International, Ruud van Nistelrooy has indicated that he feels ready to play at least 45 minutes of Hamburger SV’s game against Stuttgart at the weekend.

The Dutch veteran made his debut in the recent 3-3 draw with Koeln, though he only managed a brief cameo, replacing Mladen Petric in the penultimate minute of play. This weekend he would like to stretch his legs a little more.

“I think I can play a half,” he explained. “After training with HSV my fitness has moved on. I feel stronger.

“Playing in the Bundesliga was a new experience for me. But you see that in recent years more and more top players have headed to Germany and I think there will be more.”

Considering his fleeting debut, the former Manchester United goal-getter joked: “I think that was the shortest appearance of my career!”

Van Nistelrooy’s season has been beset by injury problems, which restricted him to only a few minutes of pitch-time for previous club Real Madrid. True to form, though, the Dutchman scored with his last kick in the Primera Division, striking home the club’s fifth in a 5-0 win over Xerez on September 20.