Manchester United given green light to appoint new manager, following rival snub: report

Manchester United have received a boost as they gear up to appoint their next permanent manager this summer.

The Red Devils turned to their former midfielder Michael Carrick as an interim boss following the sacking of Ruben Amorim in January, with the club’s plan being to appoint a permanent head coach come the end of the season.

While Carrick has impressed in the Old Trafford hot seat, winning six of his first seven matches and putting the club back in contention for a Champions League place, reports have suggested that the former England star is not one of the frontrunners for the job.

Manchester United get manager boost

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The club’s chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are leading this search for the club’s next manager and their hopes of landing one of their top targets appear to have been boosted.

That’s because, according to a report in the Telegraph, former Brighton and Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi is said to be ‘keen’ on the top job at Old Trafford.

The report claims that De Zerbi, who left Marseille in February, figures ‘prominently’ on the Manchester United shortlist, with the club admiring his attacking style of football and desire to dominate the ball.

These attributes have also won him admirers at Tottenham, whose own interim boss Igor Tudor’s future is in doubt amid their poor run of form, plus at Manchester City, where De Zerbi has built up a friendship with Pep Guardiola.

De Zerbi spent two years in charge at Brighton, leading the Seagulls to the Europa League in his first season, with the club going on to make it through to the last-16 in the 2023/24 campaign.

Brighton announced at the end of that season that they had reached a mutual agreement with De Zerbi to terminate his contract, with the Italian then going to take the Marseille job that summer.

He would lead the club to a second-place finish in his first season in charge, but left the club in February following a 5-0 defeat to rivals Paris Saint-Germain and is now one of the most attractive unattached options on the managerial market.

The Telegraph report adds that De Zerbi has been explicit with his desire to return to the Premier League with a leading club, so should Tottenham beat the drop this season, the 46-year-old could find himself with numerous options in the English top flight.

In FourFourTwo’s view, De Zerbi - who was ranked at No.30 in our list of the game's best managers last year - does indeed look to be a strong candidate for the Manchester United job this summer, with his style of play suiting what the club’s hierarchy want.

But the major note of caution for the club will be around the fact that De Zerbi has left his last two jobs early by mutual consent. Manchester United need to get their next appointment right and need a manager for the long-term, so would going for the fiery Italian be the best move?