Manchester United continue their search for a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim, with former star Jaap Stam giving his thoughts on who should hand the reins ahead of next season.
Manager Jaap Stam has appealed to Manchester United to forget about appointing Michael Carrick as permanent manager and instead hand over the job to Roberto de Zerbi.
Carrick replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim as caretaker manager until the end of the season and got off to a great start. United won three games on the spin and improved their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. There are rapidly growing calls for Carrick to take on the role full-time this summer.
But Stam has told his former club to target current Marseille manager De Zerbi instead, as he believes the Italian would be a perfect fit for the English giants.
Stam won six major trophies during his time at United, including three league titles and the 1999 Treble. “I like De Zerbi very much, you know, because of his performances at Brighton and now he is also playing for Marseille.”
“How he plays in the team is that he plays possession-based football, so he’s very good with the ball. He also puts players in certain positions and makes it very difficult for the opponent to press.”
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“As you know, he goes forward, he attacks, he scores a lot of goals and sometimes he concedes, but as a manager you know that.
“But I think he’s also a good manager. I think he’s also good with his players, giving them confidence and giving them the attention they need. Not just the starting lineup, but other players in the team.”
“And that’s what you need at such a big club. So if they don’t get Carrick and get him, I’ll be very happy.”
Meanwhile, Dutchman Stam would like to see United splash out on a big-money move to sign Dutch and Barcelona superstar Frenkie de Jong this summer.
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United have tried and failed to sign De Jong in the past. United have made strengthening their midfield a priority in the upcoming transfer window, with Adam Wharton and Elliott Anderson among the club’s targets.
But Stam believes de Jong should be the star. He added: “Yes, Frenkie de Jong, but you’ll probably have to bring in a lot of money.
“But he’s the type of player who brings extra quality to their midfield and to the team. And I think that makes it easier for them (United) to be more dominant in possession.”
To read the full interview, please visit https://www.olbg.com/.
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