Manchester United Rumors: Insider Confirms Club Held Talks With Former Barcelona Gaffer

Manchester United fans can add the name of Ernesto Valverde to their list of managers to watch out for as sources have confirmed that Red Devils upper management have made contact with him.

The 57-year-old former manager of La Liga giant Barcelona is reportedly on the shortlist of potential managers to replace the recently-sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to the Manchester Evening News.

This piece of information has been corroborated and further legitimized by prominent football insider Fabrizio Romano, noting that Valverde is among the top five favorites to take over the managerial role at Manchester United.

John Murtaugh, Manchester United’s football director, is reportedly heading the search for a new manager.

Alongside Valverde, other potential managers favored to become the new gaffer at Manchester United are Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino, Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers, Zinedine Zidane and another former Barcelona boss in Ronald Koeman.

Manchester United fans may be worried about Valverde’s lack of experience in the English Premier League as all of his managerial stints have been in Greece and Spain.

Romano later clarified that although the Red Devils may be interested in Valverde, it is only going to be an interim option in case they are not able to appoint either Pochettino or Rodgers.

However, being a proven winner in the La Liga should hold more weight than just being an interim manager.

Valverde is a decorated manager that has lifted trophies multiple times with Barcelona, including back-to-back La Liga titles in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons and a Copa del Rey in 2017-18.

Michael Carrick is currently the interim manager for Manchester United, and his first match went about as well as anyone could have expected by beating Villareal 2-0 in their UEFA Champions League fixture.

After allowing Villareal to have possession for most of the game, the Red Devils survived multiple scares thanks to David de Gea’s otherworldly goalkeeper skills.

They finally made a breakthrough in the second half as Cristiano Ronaldo scored ar the 78th minute before big-name summer transferee Jadon Sancho finally scored his first Manchester United goal at the 90th minute.

The win pushes the Red Devils right through into the knockout stages, three points ahead of second-place Villareal.

Fans are cautiously optimistic about their team’s renewed energy as they are set to face Chelsea on Sunday, November 28 in the Premier League--another test for Carrick’s managerial skills for this season.