Following the appointment of Michael Carrick, Manchester United are set to ramp up their search for a permanent head coach, with two names on the list.
Manchester United officially announced the appointment of Michael Carrick on Tuesday as head-coach until the end of the current season following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim.
United will now begin a thorough process to appoint a long-term head coach before the start of next season.
The noises out of Old Trafford suggest that Premier League experience will be regarded as crucial, something Amorim and Erik ten Hag didn’t have before arriving in Manchester.
Oliver Glasner, Adoni Iraola and Marco Silva all have contracts expiring at the end of the season and have been touted as possible candidates. Names like Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino have also been mentioned, although it’s unknown how plausible any of those moves would be.
In the summer of 2024 after winning the FA Cup, United held in-depth talks with both Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi, but both managers turned down a move to United and the club kept Ten Hag.
United to hold talks with De Zerbi and Tuchel
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, De Zerbi and Tuchel will likely once again come under consideration at Old Trafford in the coming months as the club look to make a suitable appointment to work within their structure.
“Two names I can guarantee will be considered by INEOS are Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi,” Romano explained.
“Today [I’ve received] many questions on De Zerbi. Let me clarify again, Tuchel is fully focused on England, of course, and nothing can be agreed while there is a World Cup coming in the summer, so eventually after that.
“De Zerbi is doing a great job at Marseille; his focus is on Marseille. But these two managers were on the list at Man Utd in the summer of 2024.
“They decided to continue with Erik ten Hag, but before that, at that point, they met with De Zerbi and Tuchel.
“So let’s see what’s going to happen with the season. I’m sure the list will include more names, not just these two, but these two are appreciated.”
United should consider move for Alonso?
Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi are two fantastic managers. Tuchel, in particular, would be an exceptional appointment. The German is an incredible tactician and has the personality and experience required to take Manchester United back to the top.
Following Xabi Alonso’s exit from Real Madrid, he is also certainly a name that should be prominent in Jason Wilcox’s thoughts. Premier League experience is said to be key for United, but for certain coaches, you make an exception.
Whether Alonso would be open to a move is unknown. He has a past as a player at Liverpool, and the United job is a big risk. But despite his exit from Real Madrid, the Spaniard is undoubtedly one of Europe’s best managers.
His Bayer Leverkusen side were one of the most complete sides of the last decade from a tactical point of view. United would be foolish not to at least test the waters and see if he’d be open to it.
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