Italian boss fast emerging as No 1 target to become next Man Utd manager as Fabrizio Romano makes ‘guarantee’ | OneFootball

Manchester United interest in appointing Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager – exclusively first reported by TEAMtalk just days after Ruben Amorim was sacked – has been talked up by a number of top sources, including Fabrizio Romano, and with the arrival of the Italian also getting a ringing endorsement from Rio Ferdinand.

The Red Devils begin a new era this weekend when Michael Carrick begins his 17-game stint as interim manager, with the 44-year-old chosen to lead Manchester United through the remainder of the season. With Amorim fired by the Red Devils on January 4, just a day after his explosive rant at club bosses, Carrick has already made clear his target of securing a top-four finish and bringing Champions League football back to Old Trafford.

Achieving that target will see Carrick thrust into contention for the permanent job at Old Trafford, and sources told our correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, ahead of his unveiling as interim, that the legendary former midfielder has already made clear his ambitions for a long-term stay at the club.

Prior to that, though, Fletcher’s sources had also revealed the club’s interest in appointing De Zerbi as the long-term successor to the Portuguese, exclusively first revealing that the Marseille manager was a name on the lips of various high-ups at Old Trafford, and with their interest in him dating back to the spring of 2024 when the club were initially considering whether to stick or twist with Erik ten Hag.

Furthermore, Fletcher’s exclusive report also made it clear that the 46-year-old was also keen to make the move to Old Trafford, seeing the challenge of reviving the Red Devils as the perfect next step in his career.

In the wake of that report, and in the last couple of days, both the Daily Mail and now Romano, have backed up Fletcher’s report, confirming that the former Brighton boss is very much on United’s radar.

Taking to YouTube to provide his take on the situation, trusted reporter Romano confirmed both England boss Thomas Tuchel and De Zerbi did indeed feature prominently on United’s shortlist.

“Two names I can guarantee will be considered by INEOS are Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi,” declared Romano.

“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.”

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Next Man Utd manager: More ringing endorsements for De Zerbi

Overnight, the Daily Mail has also cottoned on to United’s interest in De Zerbi, who steered Brighton to their highest-ever Premier League finish of seventh in 2023 and left the AMEX with an impressive win percentage record of 42.70%.

The newspaper claims United chiefs want a manager with Premier League experience and have outlined De Zerbi as the perfect candidate, backing up our previous claims that he would be interested in a move to Old Trafford.

The potential move for De Zerbi has also been given a ringing endorsement by Carrick’s former Red Devils teammate, Rio Ferdinand.

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, he said: “Someone who’s free right now; not free [but] someone who’s gettable.

“More than someone like [Thomas] Tuchel, because Tuchel would be one of my biggest picks as well, is De Zerbi.

“I’m telling you. Any formation he wants to play, the guy is a proper coach who gets players working and playing.”

Meanwhile, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann is set to emerge as a genuine contender to become the next United manager amid strong claims he has set his sights on the top job at Old Trafford.

All eyes in the meantime will be on how Carrick and United perform on Saturday, as they take on title-chasing Manchester City in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford (kick-off 12.30).

To that end, an insider with acute knowledge of how his Middlesbrough side played have revealed what United can expect under Carrick. And he has revealed he will “play a system that United fans will like” and with a big summer signing likely to thrive in a new role under the interim boss.

How Carrick beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the interim role is also a fascinating side-story this week and now a brutal report has revealed the stunning own goal the Norwegian played in those negotiations with Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada.