How United played a part in “destabilising” arch rivals’ CL dreams now revealed – report

Manchester United may have inadvertently played a part in strengthening their case for Champions League qualification. It came as a major surprise for all Premier League sides when Chelsea decided to part ways with their manager, Enzo Maresca, on the first day of the new year. The Italian guided the Blues to the Conference League title last season, while also helping them win the Club World Cup in the summer. Despite the obvious behind-the-scenes difficulties, the Stamford Bridge side currently occupy fifth position in the table, the final Champions League position. Enzo Maresca parts ways with Chelsea There were murmurs that the Red Devils could pounce for the former Leicester City boss, but everything currently point towards Enzo Maresca heading back to the Etihad to take over from Pep Guardiola. He had spent time there, initially as the U21s manager, before eventually working as the assistant manager under the Spaniard. The Sun have revealed the role played by United in Maresca’s eventual sacking from Chelsea. The chatter around Old Trafford was what alerted Chelsea to City’s interest in their ex-manager. “Chelsea are United’s main competitors for fifth place, probably a Champions League qualifying spot. How United influenced Chelsea call “And it seems United had a small role in the latest Stamford Bridge soap opera that ended in Enzo Maresca‘s New Year’s Day departure. “The word is that the damaging reports detailing Manchester City’s interest in Maresca to potentially succeed Pep Guardiola were partially informed by some Old Trafford chatter. Whether United intended to destabilise Chelsea is unclear.” As for United, they still retain faith in Amorim despite the disappointing draw against Wolves recently. Murmurs continue to grow of the Red Devils potentially pursuing someone like Oliver Glasner of Crystal Palace, but those links have been played down. Feature image Clive Mason via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25