Di Marzio on Manchester United’s managerial moves and Marc Guehi’s future

Manchester United’s managerial and transfer plans have become a hot topic in recent weeks, with speculation mounting over who will lead the club through the remainder of the season and beyond. To provide some clarity, we spoke to football insider and transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio to understand what’s happening behind the scenes at Old Trafford.

Who are Manchester United’s managerial priorities?

With the search for a new manager underway, it appears that Glasner has emerged as a top candidate for the Manchester United bosses.

“I think Glasner is the priority for Manchester United because they don’t want to get foreign coaches to avoid the problems they had with ten Hag and Amorim. They are very good coaches but they would prefer a coach who is established in the Premier League. Glasner is one of the names at the top of the list,” our source explained.

“The internal process to bring in coaches in the Premier League is very, very long so they will now have time to get to know the coaches and not make the same mistakes.”

Will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer return as interim manager?

Despite Glasner being a leading contender, Solskjaer is likely to return in a caretaker role for the time being as they seek to rectify the mistakes made with Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.

“It’s true that Manchester United considered Enzo Maresca as the permanent manager but the board at the club have decided to get Solskjaer as caretaker and to have more time to decide the right coach. There’s no hurry because there could be more options to pick from in the summer.”

“Glasner from Crystal Palace and even Conte could leave Napoli. Enzo Maresca, if he doesn’t go to Manchester City at the end of the season, could be free to accept. The choice will be to have Solskjaer because he knows the club, the players and the situation until the end of the season.”

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Transfers may also be impacted by Solskjaer’s return

“The transfers are also an issue because AS Roma are looking at Zirkzee and have agreed terms with him but don’t have an agreement with Manchester United. They want to wait for the caretaker coach and his way of playing before deciding what to do. The coach may want to play with three strikers and then Zirkzee can stay and be used more.”

How does this affect Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo?

Questions have been raised about whether the managerial change will affect player movements, including those of Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo.

“I think things will change for Kobbie Mainoo after this. I hope Man Utd make another mistake like they did with McTominay and Højlund. Players that were not performing at Man Utd are top performers at other teams. It's good for us in Italy and Napoli,” Di Marzio claims.

“In Italy we say, 'there is no two without three'. So obviously Napoli said after McTominay and Højlund we'll try to get Mainoo too.”

“With a new coach I don't think they'll try to sell Mainoo and will try to give him more minutes.”

As for Rashford, it seems a return to Old Trafford is unlikely:

“Rashford, no I don't think he'll leave Barcelona. He's doing well there and I don't think he's coming back.”

Marc Guehi: Manchester City or elsewhere?

The future of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi also remains uncertain, with links to Manchester City, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich.

“That's the key point. He probably wanted to be a free agent but with Man City having urgent defensive problems, we will see if they'll really go for him. If Man City go for a player, they usually get him. They will make a good offer to Crystal Palace and Guehi. They can afford it.”

“Otherwise he's free to wait for Bayern Munich or Liverpool. He's in the perfect position because he can ask for a big salary as he's free. If Man City says they want him, he will go. I think this is the deal of January, after Semenyo to Man City. Guehi can be the biggest deal of the Premier League in this window.”

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