United planning to hire maverick tactician who surprised Guardiola with his “unique” style – report

An interesting favourite for the Manchester United head coach role has now emerged, with INEOS keen to poach one of Ligue 1’s finest tacticians. United’s technical bench needs sorting More than a week on from sacking Ruben Amorim, INEOS now face the crucial task of reshaping United’s technical bench in the months ahead. Darren Fletcher stepped up from the club’s U-18s to lead the senior side in a 2-2 league draw with Burnley, followed by an FA Cup third-round defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. He is, however, expected to return to his youth-team role, with Michael Carrick taking over as caretaker head coach until the end of the season. While Carrick is tasked with steadying the ship at the Theatre of Dreams, behind the scenes, United’s hierarchy are weighing up who should take charge as the next permanent head coach. Several top tacticians have already been linked with the job. At one stage, Oliver Glasner appeared the frontrunner, yet according to the Daily Mail, another leading candidate, Roberto De Zerbi, has now emerged. De Zerbi adored by United decision-makers Marseille’s Italian coach De Zerbi is said to be highly favoured by United chiefs as the man to take over permanently. The outlet reports: “De Zerbi has many admirers at United. The club are keen to appoint a head coach with Premier League experience after the Amorim gamble backfired, and De Zerbi made a strong impression during his two seasons at Brighton.” Indeed, the former Premier League manager has long been on United’s radar. The report adds: “The Italian was interviewed by INEOS in May 2024 and considered a leading contender to replace Erik ten Hag, but he had already joined Marseille by the time the United boss was sacked that October.” Notably, De Zerbi allegedly once showed his Marseille players a contract offer he turned down from United before opting to join the Ligue 1 side. Now, however, after two successful seasons in France, he is thought to be keen on making the switch to Old Trafford. De Zerbi would choose United over Spurs According to Caught Offside, the 44-year-old would even turn down Tottenham Hotspur in order to sign with United. Like the Red Devils, Spurs also face searching questions over their technical bench. Should they part ways with Thomas Frank, De Zerbi would undoubtedly sit high on their wishlist. Yet, in truth, they stand little chance in the race for the Italian tactical genius, one whom Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola openly holds in the highest regard. Guardiola once admitted, as per the BBC: “If you don’t play at a high level, he can do whatever he wants against you. They are one of the teams I try to learn a lot from.” And just imagine how much spicier the Manchester derbies would become if De Zerbi were to take the reins at United. 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 Daniel Onguko Dan is a writer with The Peoples Person, an avid Manchester United fan whose passion for the Red Devils evolved into writing about them. He was introduced to United back in 2008, and his love for the club has continued to grow ever since. Like every other United fan, he believes the club will soon return to its rightful place and strives to reflect that belief in his writing. While he has also written about other Premier League sides, including Arsenal for Just Arsenal and The Arsenal Analysis Blogspot, Dan lives and breathes Manchester United.