Enzo Maresca’s Manchester United connection that could see him replace Ruben Amorim – but Red Devils told to target serial European winner

There may be something in the curious timing of Ruben Amorim’s sacking and the availability of Enzo Maresca, according to talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook.

Amorim was dismissed as Manchester United head coach on Monday, less than 24 hours after he oversaw a 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

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The decision came days after Maresca was ousted at Chelsea on January 1.

In the lead-up to their respective sackings, both Amorim and Maresca hinted at discontent with higher-ups at United and Chelsea respectively.

The Chelsea vacancy looks poised to be filled by Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, who jetted into London on Sunday.

Although United great Darren Fletcher has been announced as the interim boss at Old Trafford, speculation has already turned to who will take over on a long-term basis.

Who will replace Ruben Amorim at Manchester United?

And talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent, Crook, believes Maresca could be in with a strong shout to replace Amorim, especially given he has an established relationship with several of United’s major figures.

When asked by talkSPORT’s Jim White whether there was anything in the fact Maresca was available and Amorim’s sacking, Crook replied: “Do you know what, Jim? I think you may be onto something.

“Because there is that connection between Jason Wilcox, Director of Football, Omar Berrada, Chief Executive [Officer], and Enzo Maresca from his time at Manchester City.

“You have to wonder, Ruben Amorim is always very honest in press conferences, but he usually manages to keep a lid on things and be quite cool and calm and collected.

“Why has he suddenly lost his mind in this way? Not just post-match, but actually he laid the foundations with what he was saying pre-match about not being supported in this upcoming transfer window.

“Could it be because he had suspicions? Maybe that talks have already taken place with a potential replacement and maybe that potential replacement could be Enzo Maresca.”

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Maresca began his tenure at City in August 2020 when he managed their Elite Development Squad.

City’s EDS squad for the 20/21 season featured several names who have gone on to star in their own right, including James McAtee, Liam Delap, Felix Nmecha and Cole Palmer.

The Italian led City’s EDS to the Premier League 2 title in his only season in charge before he took over at Italian outfit Parma.

Maresca returned to City in June 2022 but this time as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola.

However, the Italian served just a solitary season as Guardiola’s understudy as he was appointed Leicester City boss in June 2023.

Could Unai Emery replace Ruben Amorim?

Maresca wasn’t the only name floated though, as Simon Jordan suggested United should ‘absolutely’ target Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.

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“Emery’s a Man United manager,” Jordan said.

“He’s one of the best in the class.”

White reminded Jordan that Emery is already in a job and ‘doing great things’ at Villa Park.

But Jordan replied: “Man United are one of the biggest clubs in the world.”

Emery has Villa flying this season, with the Midlands outfit sitting third in the Premier League and Europa League standings.

The Spaniard has overseen a drastic transformation since his arrival at Villa Park in October 2022, with Villa securing European football in every season.

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Central to Villa’s rise has been the drastic improvement of every player since Emery’s arrival, with Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins becoming established England internationals.

Emery, who boasts four Europa League titles, has also overseen a net spend of just £40million at Villa Park, per Transfermarkt.

It is a figure that pales in comparison to the likes of Guardiola and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who have enjoyed a net spend of £893m and £779m since their respective tenures began.

Is Oliver Glasner an option?

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is also a name that could be in the frame at Old Trafford.

Crook explained: “It shows how fluid the situation is that I don’t think there’s a definitive plan as far as Manchester United are concerned as yet in terms of who will be the long term successor.

“We know that Darren Fletcher will be in charge at least for that Premier League game live on the talkSPORT network against Burnley in midweek and probably for the FA Cup game, which is also live and exclusive on talkSPORT against Brighton this coming weekend.

“What I’ve been told in the last few minutes, and this this is fascinating, is they haven’t ruled out replacing an interim with an interim.

“So, there is a scenario that Darren Fletcher gets these next two games in charge. Then another interim is appointed until the end of the season before they can actually appoint Ruben Amorim’s full time successor.

“Now if they go down that route, I think Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace becomes a live contender. We’ve seen the success that he’s had at Selhurst Park, winning the FA Cup, taking Palace into Europe for the first time.

“He plays the same system that this Manchester United squad has been built to play under Ruben Amorim. And he’s out of contract in the summer.

“Now my information is that Oliver Glasner, even though he knows he’s going to leave Palace, would be reluctant to do that mid-season, which might explain why Manchester United are willing to keep their powder dry and wait until the end of the season.

“But to contemplate hiring one interim and then replacing him with another, that seems crazy to me, especially when you look at the last time they went down the interim route with Ralf Rangnick.”