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Man Utd make clearest indication yet of new manager after surprise De Zerbi approach
Suraj Radia
- 5 Apr 2026 16:05 BST
- 4 min read
News
Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment at Tottenham could be the clearest indication yet that Michael Carrick is set to be named as Manchester United’s permanent manager after a new development.
De Zerbi was named as Spurs’ new boss last week on a five-year contract despite the club being in serious danger of relegation to the EFL Championship with seven games remaining.
The Italian left Marseille in February and had been among the names also considered by United for their job but talkSPORT have revealed that De Zerbi took the Tottenham job after being informed that he would not be handed the reigns at Old Trafford.
De Zerbi is understood to have preferred a move to United and the 46-year-old is alleged to have reached out to the club to assess his chances before taking the job at Tottenham, but he was seemingly not given any assurances.
The decision suggested that Carrick is still in pole position to take the United job, with talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook saying: “We’ve got to Easter Weekend and they’ve not spoken – as I understand – to any other candidates.
“Speaking to people in Italy, they were telling me that De Zerbi – before taking the Tottenham job — sounded out Manchester United and was told he wasn’t in the reckoning there. Is that because they have already made their mind up without making it public?"
Carrick emerging as Man Utd's top option after outclassing rivals for job
United have won seven of their ten games since Carrick was appointed as interim manager and the Red Devils are now on course to qualify for the Champions League next season despite a poor first half of the campaign.
The turnaround under Carrick has led to a belief that United will name him as their permanent manager, although no decision will be made until the end of the season.
With the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique not opening the door to approaches as of yet, United do not believe there is a realistic target for them who represents a proven upgrade over Carrick.
De Zerbi is likely to have fallen into the category of Premier League managers such as Oliver Glasner and Unai Emery as options whom United have come up against under Carrick and emerged victorious, giving a belief that they are in the most capable hands currently.
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