Roberto de Zerbi says YES to Man Utd as talks with three candidates start

Tom Weber

6 Jan 2026 17:13 GMT
4 min read

Marseille head coach Roberto de Zerbi is interested in taking the Manchester United job, but the club are only planning for an interim solution as things stand.

Article continues under the video

The Red Devils pulled the plug on the Ruben Amorim experiment on Monday after the Portuguese blew up in a meeting with director Jason Wilcox and later publicly insisted that he was "manager" and not merely "head coach."

U18s boss Darren Fletcher will be given at least the next two games as interim head coach, but club chiefs are still in the process of finalising a proper succession plan.

The mood in training is said to be good under the former midfielder, and he could stay in his role until the end of the season if results are positive. However, Man Utd are concerned about his lack of senior experience.

Wilcox and company have therefore held informal talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and incumbent Fletcher, Sky Sports reports. All three would be interim solutions until the summer, and a more formal interviewing process will start in due course.

De Zerbi says yes to Man Utd

The report adds that Man Utd want to formulate their coaching plan before the Manchester Derby on 17 January. They will only make a permanent appointment immediately if the right person becomes available.

The more realistic scenario is to wait until the summer, when a host of Premier League-proven managers like Oliver Glasner, Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola could become available.

On Monday, it was claimed that Enzo Maresca, fresh out of work after leaving Chelsea, would be interested in taking the Man Utd job. Now, TEAMtalk claims that Marseille boss Roberto de Zerbi is also keen on the role.

The Italian is said to be ready to leave Marseille at the end of the season, with the club's Ligue 1 title challenge having come unstuck for the second season running. The French giants are eight points off surprise leaders RC Lens after losing to relegation battlers Nantes at the weekend.

De Zerbi is keen on a new, bigger challenge and would jump at the opportunity to coach Man Utd if offered the job. He is also a target for Tottenham should they opt to part ways with Thomas Frank.

Before taking the Marseille job in 2024, De Zerbi was interviewed for the Man Utd position when INEOS were undecided over whether or not to sack Erik ten Hag after his triumph in the FA Cup. They ultimately opted to stick with the Dutchman, only to sack him a few months later.

Football transfer news headlines today

OFFICIAL: Chelsea appoint Liam Rosenior as new head coach

Arne Slot at WAR with Liverpool over Rio Ngumoha

Man Utd fans can't trust INEOS after Amorim - A real reckoning is needed

Rangers rue HUGE transfer failure as Ornstein confirms €100m price tag

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store