Van Nistelrooy ´can live´ with Hamburg stay

Hamburg coach Armin Veh insists Ruud van Nistelrooy has accepted the club’s decision to block a return to La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Netherlands striker Van Nistelrooy, who joined Hamburg from Real mid-way through the 2009/10 season, was linked with a surprise return to the club in the January transfer window as a solution to the shortage of strikers at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But with Real unwilling to meet their asking price for the 34-year-old, Bundesliga side Hamburg have refused to sanction the transfer.

Reports suggested a disgruntled Van Nistelrooy – who has scored nine goals in all competitions this campaign – would leave the club at the end of the season, but Veh maintains the fallout from the incident has been minimal.

“I spoke to Ruud today, and the topic has been dealt with. He can live with our decision, he can live with it well,” Veh said.

“He is not the kind of person to stay angry. He needs to clear his mind now.”

“It is an issue where you cannot say anything terminal about it. But for now it’s done. Let’s just calm down for a few days.”