Man Utd: Berrada, Wilcox blow as Real Madrid ‘want’ ex-Barcelona head coach as new manager
Man Utd could be set to miss out on Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique in the summer with Real Madrid looking to appoint him, according to reports.
The Red Devils sacked Ruben Amorim in January and replaced him with Michael Carrick on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Since then, Man Utd have been in brilliant form, winning seven, drawing two and losing one of Carrick’s first ten matches in charge.
There is now an expectation that Carrick has put himself in the driving seat to land the permanent job in the summer but nothing has been confirmed.
Former Barcelona boss Enrique has been linked with The i Paper claiming late last month that the Spaniard is ‘one of the top picks to take the Old Trafford hotseat at the end of the season’.
The report added: ‘United’s interest in Enrique is said to come from chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, with the club’s Ineos owners understood to be more keen on appointing Carrick, at least on a short-term basis, should the former midfielder steer the club back into the Champions League.’
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The Independent‘s Miguel Delaney has also revealed that the PSG head coach is on the Man Utd list with the Red Devils ready to make a push for him.
Delaney wrote: ‘Manchester United insiders say that Luis Enrique is the name increasingly being mentioned, with the club reportedly willing to make a serious push to secure him
‘You might wonder why he would leave PSG now, but there is growing speculation that he will depart in the summer, and he has long expressed a desire to work in the Premier League.’
But now Football Transfers claims that Real Madrid ‘want to appoint’ Enrique as they look to replace Alvaro Arbeloa in the summer.
It was not revealed whether Arbeloa was an interim boss or permanent at the time and now Real Madrid president Florentino Perez ‘is already attempting an ambitious swoop for Enrique ahead of this summer.’
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The report continues: ‘Despite his ties to Barcelona, we have been informed that Real Madrid have earmarked him as a top target for the head coach role, and we understand that PSG have identified the aforementioned [Xabi] Alonso as a potential replacement if Enrique opts to leave the Parc des Princes this summer.’
TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey brought an update last month on Carrick’s situation at Man Utd, he said: “Michael Carrick is impressing, the way he is working, his attitude and commitment to the role, and it is this that will earn him the role – not opinions, either way.
“This is Manchester United, it is a pressure cooker of a club – it always will be. There will always be comments both negative and positive. But I am told that will not sway the club in any way.
“The club are working hard on the manager front, and whilst Carrick is emerging in pole position, the club insist they are doing due diligence on every option available to them.”
