Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi breaks silence on Man Utd job links as hunt for Ruben Amorim's permanent replacement continues

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Roberto De Zerbi has broken his silence on speculation he's a potential candidate to become the next permanent Manchester United head coach following Ruben Amorim's sacking. Former midfielder Michael Carrick has been appointed on a caretaker basis until the end of the 2025-26 season while the Red Devils continue to search for a permanent replacement for Amorim.

Man Utd searching for permanent head coach

United are continuing to search for a permanent manager to replace Amorim and are expected to make an appointment in the summer. De Zerbi was reportedly interviewed for the job at Old Trafford in 2024 but turned down the offer. However, the club are still thought to be admirers of the Marseille boss and could potentially reignite their interest. The Italian tactician moved to Marseille in 2024 on a three-year contract after impressing in the Premier League with Brighton and guided his team to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 in his first season in charge. 

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De Zerbi breaks silence on Man Utd links

De Zerbi was asked about his future at a pre-match press conference ahead of his team's Champions League meeting with Liverpool and told reporters: "My focus is on Marseille. I wanted to come here, I'm here before a very important match and there's nothing else on my mind. I feel good here and I have nothing to say about the future, we'll talk about that later. I feel very good in this city and this club."

Premier League 'absolutely best in the world'

De Zerbi also claimed the Premier League is the best in the world but insisted that he's happy where he is. He told TNT Sports: "Marseille is the right place for me, because the people love football and they feel the passion. It's a religion more than a sport, and it's more than a job. If you want to work at the club, you have to eat, drink, and sleep football. At the moment, I feel very good at this club. We're building something special. [Sporting director] Medhi Benatia, [president] Pablo Longoria, and I are working to make Marseille better. I feel my work in the city is not finished. In the future, for sure, the Premier League is a different fashion to any other league in the world, but at the moment, my focus is just on Marseille. The Premier League is absolutely the best league in the world, and I have great memories of when I worked in Brighton. It was an amazing experience for me, and I feel the league is getting better and better."

De Zerbi 'a good coach and a good guy'

Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been full of praise for De Zerbi ahead of the Liverpool match, describing his boss as one of the best in the business. He explained: "It's fantastic playing here, honestly. To have this as our home crowd and as our stadium, I'm smiling because it is so nice. You can expect fireworks. He's a good coach and a good guy. I like the way he wants to play, it's fantastic. He's amongst the best coaches that I've had, so it's a joy to be able to have him as a coach. It doesn't matter if you're 25, 30, or 20; he wants to progress every player, and that's a nice feeling. We have to stay ambitious, but also we have to stay focused on working hard. Then, I think we will do great things, but it has to be day-by-day and game-by-game."

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De Zerbi to face Liverpool next

De Zerbi will take on United's bitter rivals Liverpool next in the Champions League and a victory will surely go down well with those in charge at Old Trafford. The Marseille boss has warned the Reds they'll face a hot reception on Wednesday night: "Tomorrow, the Velodrome will be filled with festive cheer. With the demand for tickets, we could fill two stadiums. We'll need to be ready for the atmosphere. Not just in terms of the desire to run, but also the personality. We're going to try to win the match."