Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has warned his former club against taking the risk of appointing Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager. Rooney's former Red Devils teammate, Michael Carrick, is currently at the helm at Old Trafford on an interim basis until the end of the season.
The managerial situation at Manchester United has been dicey for a while, after former boss Ruben Amorim was sacked in January this year after only 14 months in charge. Michael Carrick took over the helm as an interim manager but has done a fine job until now. Carrick is set to be in charge until the end of this season but the Red Devils' improvement in form also means there's a chance of his job becoming permanent.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Wayne Rooney weighed in on the managerial situation at Manchester United, vouching for Michael Carrick to take over permanently. He advised the club against taking the risk of hiring Roberto De Zerbi, who's reportedly one of the key contenders to take over the helm.
"Michael knows, he's been at that club, he was at that club for a long time. He knows what that takes. He's a good manager, I think he's shown that. He's shown everyone he has no problem managing at this level, the players have responded to him," Rooney said.
He added:
"So why would you change that? Why would you go and try to find someone who is a risk, like if you say De Zerbi, it's another one where you're going into it thinking, 'Could this be a risk?', and you take another backwards step if that doesn't work. For me, [Carrick] has to get it."
Former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has been linked to Manchester United for a while and reportedly remains one of the key candidates to take over as head coach next season. De Zerbi parted ways with Marseille last month and remains available.
Roy Keane claims there are "far better options" than Michael Carrick to coach Manchester United
In a conversation on Sky Sports, Manchester United legend Roy Keane weighed in on Michael Carrick's future at Old Trafford. Keane believed there are better options than Carrick to take over as head coach, saying (via SPORTBible):
"I think the games where he has come in, in terms of winning football matches, he's done a very good job. He's simplified things. But there's been no jeopardy in those games. He's had a few weeks to prepare for the matches [with no European or cup football]."
Keane added:
"It's been good timing for him to go in there. And he's done a very good job, I take my hat off to him. If he does get the job in the summer - listen, good luck to him. But I think there's far better options out there. If Carrick had been mentioned three months ago, you would have been locked up. He probably wouldn't have been the reckoning."
The final outcome will depend on how Manchester United end the season under Carrick's guidance. The Red Devils are currently third in the Premier League with 54 points off 30 games. If they continue in this form, they will be in a good position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.