Manchester United legend Jaap Stam has urged the club to forget about Michael Carrick and appoint Roberto De Zerbi instead. 

Stam believes the former Brighton manager will be a perfect fit for the Red Devils and De Zerbi may prefer a move to Old Trafford as well.

Stam urges Manchester United to snub Michael Carrick for Roberto De Zerbi

He said (via The Mirror): “I like De Zerbi very much, you know, because of how he performed at Brighton and also now in Marseille.

“How he’s playing with his teams, because he plays possession-based football, he’s very good on the ball. He also sets the players in certain positions that it makes it really difficult for the opposition to press them.

“You know, he’s going forward, he attacks. Scores a lot of goals, sometimes concedes, but you know that as a manager.

“But I think he’s also a good man-manager. I think he’s also good with the players and giving them the confidence, giving them the attention they need – and not only the starting XI, but also the other players within the squad.

“And that’s what you need in a big club like that. So I would be very happy if they don’t go for Carrick, and that they go for him.”

Roberto De Zerbi has made a name for himself in European football

De Zerbi’s reputation has skyrocketed since his time in the Premier League, where he led Brighton to European qualification for the first time in their history.

Currently at Marseille, his high-risk, high-reward style continues to garner attention across the continent.

Stam highlighted the Italian’s ability to manage big personalities and squads, a leadership skill required to manage a club like Man United.

Roberto De Zerbi’s manerail stats for Marseille and Brighton via Transfermarkt

He is highly rated and loved by his players, both current and former. In fact, Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has even rated him above Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.

Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, he said about De Zerbi: “He’s a crazy guy, but I love him. I think he’s the best manager I’ve ever had.”

Host Gary Lineker asked: “Really? Wow! You’ve got Slot and Klopp in there.”

Mac Allister replied: “I had a couple of conversations with Slot about De Zerbi as well, because he really likes the idea. Then I have coaches like (Gabriel) Heinze as well in Argentina. So I have very good coaches.”

Michael Carrick is making a strong case for a permanent role

While Stam looks elsewhere, Carrick is doing everything right on the pitch.

Since taking the reins, he has scrapped the rigid tactical systems of his predecessors and restored a sense of harmony to the dressing room.

Under his guidance, United have a 100% win record and have climbed back into the top-four race.

With a crucial home fixture against Tottenham looming, the clamor for Carrick to stay is growing, but the debate between a “club man” and an established European tactician like De Zerbi remains the central question for the United hierarchy.

The post Manchester United told to forget about Michael Carrick and appoint manager even better than Jurgen Klopp appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United’s interim manager Michael Carrick will have “very good chances” of landing the job permanently if this strong start continues.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano on YouTube, with the journalist explaining that there’s no final decision yet on the Man Utd manager position.

Still, Carrick has made a terrific start, winning three out of three since taking over in an interim role until the end of the season.

The 44-year-old former Red Devils midfielder has earned impressive wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in that time, and it seems Romano is not ruling him out getting the job beyond this season.

Fabrizio Romano on Michael Carrick’s chances of being Manchester United manager permanently

“In the summer we will see obviously, if Carrick will continue like this he will have very good chances, but this will be decided by the club later on, not now,” Romano said.

Romano has established himself as one of the most reliable journalists when it comes to transfers and reporting on managerial changes, so fans will undoubtedly be interested to see that he’s not ruling Carrick out of the running for the permanent job.

MUFC probably need to go for someone more proven and experienced, but it’s also looking like being increasingly hard for them to ignore the impact Carrick has had.

Should Michael Carrick be next Manchester United manager?

Carrick did an impressive job during a spell in charge of Championship club Middlesbrough, and one imagines he has it in him to coach in the Premier League.

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It’s probably too early to know for sure if he has what it takes to manage a big name like United, but he’s done his chances no harm with a fantastic start.

Many United fans will also surely be rooting for him as he’s one of their best players from the Sir Alex Ferguson era, and someone who understands a lot about what it takes to succeed at this club.

The post Fabrizio Romano explains why there could be “very good chances” for this manager to get Man Utd job appeared first on CaughtOffside.