Next Man Utd Manager Odds: Enzo Maresca might not be out of work for long

It is all change at two of the Premier League’s biggest clubs. First, Chelsea parted ways with manager Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day following a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Then Manchester United pulled the trigger after a draw of their own, 1-1 with Leeds United on Sunday. Ruben Amorim was let go this morning with Darren Fletcher taking temporary charge.

The pair of former Premier League champions are fifth and sixth in the table as it stands, which is far from a low watermark for the mercurial clubs. Now it looks like a game of musical chairs may begin, with Maresca being one of the front-runners to take over at Old Trafford. Read on to find out where the Club World Cup winner figures in the next permanent Manchester United manager odds.

Amorim’s sacking is largely thought to have occurred because of the 40-year-old’s comments about Ineos and the United hierarchy. In a shocking post-match press conference following Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Elland Road, the former Sporting CP boss told reporters "I just want to say I came here to be the manager, not to be the coach. In every department - the scouting department, the sporting director – [they] need to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.”

The outburst was surprising and felt like a culmination of factors rather than sour grapes over the Leeds point, as frustrating as it was. Amorim’s insinuation that he was not given promised control and the way he firmly said he was off in a year-and-a-half left Ineos with not choice but to act.

Maresca’s departure was not as dramatic but was another exit led by myriad factors, rather than just on-pitch failures. After all, Chelsea are only fifth and are very much in the battle for Champions League football. Maresca also lifted the Conference League and Club World Cup with the west London club. But a reported breakdown behind the scenes between the head coach and the club hierarchy appears to have made the relationship untenable.

It is not surprising that the coach of a fellow ‘big six’ club, to use that vulgar term, is in the frame for a job at another. Maresca will point to his Chelsea trophies and his 2023/24 Championship win at Leicester City as reasons to be considered. He also has proven experience taking a fallen giant back into the Champions League, restoring Chelsea to the competition for the first time since Thomas Tuchel’s reign.

While Ineos might not want to admit it, Chelsea are also an effective proving ground for how to navigate a troubled club. The Stamford Bridge outfit are arguably the only Premier League side more turbulent than the Red Devils. But Maresca departed with two trophies to his name and a largely positive body of work.

Another element going in Maresca’s favour is his familiarity with members of the current United structure. CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox both worked with Maresca during his tenure as part of the Manchester City coaching structure. The ex-Etihad pair have recruited known quantities in the past and might well be keen on a reunion.

Maresca spent two spells at Eastlands, either side of a short sharp shock of a full managerial debut at Parma. In his initial tenure, the Spaniard won Premier League 2 as manager of the Elite Development Squad. Upon his return, Maresca served as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistant managers.

The 45-year-old learned a lot working under the iconic former Barcelona boss. Maresca favours a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation which adopts Guardiola’s use of an inverted full back or wing back in the midfield while in possession. The counter-press he usually employs is pure Pep, too. That is not to say the man is bereft of his own ideas, but rather a compliment on how well he has adapted the work of other top coaches.

What Maresca has failed to do sufficiently in his two English managerial roles is endear himself to the fanbase. The Sevilla midfielder is no fist-pumping, man-of-the-people type. Foxes fans were unmoved when he was poached by Chelsea, despite having just got them promoted to the Premier League. Similarly, even after cup success and a solid league placing, you will find few Chelsea fans shedding a tear now he has gone.

Of course, being a populist is not the only way to excel as a football manager. But coaching appointments are often a reaction to what has gone before. Jose Mourinho was too combative so the charming Solskjaer replaced him. Ole was seen as tactically simplistic, so Dutch ideologue Erik ten Hag was sought. The ex-Ajax man was too bald, so Amorim was appointed for having thick, glossy hair. 

With Amorim struggling to connect with fans or colleagues during his misspent year in England, it would feel strange for United to plump for another divisive figure. But what helps Maresca’s chances is the fact that United’s decision-makers reportedly favour an interim boss for the rest of the season followed by a summer appointment. What if this go-between is given the task of restoring morale while Maresca focuses on the technical side for the next season?

It is a plausible plan, perhaps one of the many being drawn up and considered within the walls of Carrington. Maresca has proven quality, a rare commodity in the Premier League. But he has yet to prove he can bed in and have long-term success at a club. If you believe that club is Manchester United, Maresca is 2/1.

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