Man Utd sent clear De Zerbi warning as Marseille 'breaking point' reached

Tom Weber

• Updated: 10 Feb 2026 19:56 GMT
• 6 min read

News

Manchester United will be keenly watching developments at Olympique de Marseille, where Roberto de Zerbi's position is becoming increasingly untenable.

The Red Devils have a vested interest in Marseille succeeding for two reasons. For one, Man Utd retain a hefty sell-on percentage on disgraced forward Mason Greenwood, meaning that they will stand to benefit handsomely from his next transfer.

The other reason is of much more immediate concern and pertains to head coach Roberto de Zerbi. The Italian is one of the candidates for the vacant managerial position at Old Trafford and was previously interviewed for the job in the summer of 2024 before Erik ten Hag's now-infamous contract extension.

De Zerbi, though, is now at serious risk of getting a major blotch on his CV. His Marseille project is unravelling, and there is increasing talk that he may be sacked before Man Utd will have even had the opportunity to poach him from the Ligue 1 side.

At the weekend, Marseille were comprehensively defeated by rivals PSG, suffering a devastating 5-0 loss that has plunged the club deeper into crisis.

Marseille's latest implosion

When Marseille hired the highly-rated 46-year-old in 2024, the thought process may have been that putting an emotionally volatile mastermind into a volatile club environment could create the perfect mix. There have certainly been times when that seemed to be the case.

However, at the moment, the Marseille job remains a poisoned chalice. In both of De Zerbi's two seasons, the French giants looked poised to mount a title challenge, only to fizzle away at the first sign of adversity.

Within months of being hired, De Zerbi threatened to quit, and subsequent outbursts haven't been any less dramatic. The Italian has repeatedly questioned his team's mentality and, at times, suggested that he needs to be a psychologist as much as a coach.

Marseille were knocked out of the Champions League in embarrassing fashion after an apathetic performance against Club Brugge, and after two winless Ligue 1 games, they find themselves 10 points off second.

De Zerbi's men were made to look like amateurs by PSG, and the fallout from this is promising to be seismic. Various French media outlets report that tension at Marseille is reaching fever pitch.

On Monday, Marseille's supporters' groups assembled to discuss the club's situation, according to L'Equipe. De Zerbi's job was one of the topics on the agenda, as was the captaincy of Leonardo Balerdi.

The Argentine was completely out of his depth against PSG, continuing a trend of worrying form in recent weeks. Several leading figures in the supporters' groups are believed to be in favour of stripping Balerdi of the captaincy.

Moreover, there are also growing calls for the club to part ways with De Zerbi. He retains the backing of his bosses for now, but pressure is mounting. The French outlet reports that players are growing frustrated with the coach.

His methods and decisions are being increasingly questioned by the squad, but players feel that they are unable to voice their opinions for fear of repercussions. There is also a belief that his gruelling training sessions are of little developmental benefit.

"None of this makes any sense anymore, and the players are starting to see it," a source close to the dressing room is quoted as saying. "We’re close to breaking point."

RMC reports that De Zerbi is currently contemplating his future. If he feels he is no longer the right man for the job, he may resign of his own volition. This would have far-reaching consequences for the club because the Italian is not the only one facing scrutiny.

Sporting director Mehdi Benatia is also under increasing pressure. His relationship with both president Pablo Longoria and members of the playing squad has become strained, according to La Provence.

Marseille are currently in a relatively secure fourth place as the chasing pack have all been dropping points in recent weeks, but they can ill-afford to let Champions League football slip away.

Benatia has admitted that Champions League qualification is a must every season because of the club's financial situation. Despite making a loss every year since Frank McCourt's takeover in 2016, Marseille have continued to spend big. Champions League revenue is therefore crucial to avoid sanctions.

As for De Zerbi, all of the above suggests that he would not be the right man for the Man Utd job. You would hope for INEOS's sake that they have learned their lesson from the Ruben Amorim experiment and that they will appoint a more level-headed coach next.

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