Details surface of De Zerbi’s failed ambitious plot to land Man United job

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The Peoples Person

·4. April 2026

Details surface of De Zerbi’s failed ambitious plot to land Man United job

Newly-appointed Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi reportedly launched an ambitious bid to land the Manchester United job, but it failed.

De Zerbi interest

Despite the success that interim head coach Michael Carrick has enjoyed since replacing Ruben Amorim, there remains no guarantee that he will be handed the role on a permanent basis.

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Carrick has taken charge of 10 games, winning seven, drawing two and losing one. At present, United sit in third place in the Premier League table, one point above Aston Villa in fourth and six adrift of neighbours Manchester City.

United are adamant that they will make no knee-jerk reactions and will only make an appointment after considering all the options at their disposal. De Zerbi was repeatedly mentioned as a person of interest to the club.

During a fairly successful period in England with Brighton & Hove Albion, he transformed the Seagulls into a dependable team renowned for playing attractive football.

He then moved to Marseille and guided the side to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1. However, internal conflicts and declining performances saw him part ways with Marseille in February.

A report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that De Zerbi was no longer viewed as a candidate for the Old Trafford hot seat.

However, talkSPORT’s Alex Crook has revealed that before he accepted to take charge of Tottenham, De Zerbi made contact with United to express his availability, but the 20-time English Champions flat-out rejected his advances.

Daring step

Crook said, “Do you know what I find interesting about Michael Carrick? We’ve got to Easter Weekend and they’ve not spoken, as I understand, to any other candidates.”

“That’s not to say Carrick has been interviewed for the job. I don’t think they’ll need to interview him. I think they either give it to him or they don’t.”

He continued, “Speaking to people in Italy this morning, Jamie. They were telling me that Roberto De Zerbi – before taking the Tottenham job – sounded out Manchester United and was told he wasn’t in the reckoning there.”