Ruud van Nistelrooy is desperate to discover whether he has a future at Manchester United following his falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Netherlands striker's relationship with Ferguson went in to rapid decline following the manager's decision to omit him from the starting line-up for the Carling Cup final, culminating in the 29-year-old being sent home from the team hotel ahead of the last match of the season.

Van Nistelrooy put his club future to the back of his mind during the World Cup, but the Oranje's second round defeat against Portugal means the issue is now uppermost in his thoughts.

"I would like the situation to be sorted out sooner rather than later," said van Nistelrooy, a £19million signing from PSV Eindhoven in 2001.

"There must be some sort of contact between the club and myself over the next few days.

"As I have said a number of times before, if nothing happens I will be at Manchester United next season.

"Maybe in the coming weeks, we have to see what United do and whether other clubs get involved.

"Whatever will happen will happen. I have to assess the situation and see what is the best for me."

Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have all expressed an interest in the striker, who has scored a staggering 150 goals in 219 first-team appearances for the Red Devils.