Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand (Picture: Getty)
Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United need to appoint a ‘lunatic’ in Antonio Conte or Roberto De Zerbi as their next permanent manager.
Michael Carrick has been installed as United’s interim head coach until the end of the season after Amorim was removed from his post earlier this month.
Behind the scenes, work will already be underway to identify a marquee summer appointment to take on the United job permanently ahead of next season.
Current England boss Thomas Tuchel and Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner are two of the early favourites to take on the role. In fact, Glasner has seen his odds shorten further after he announced on Friday that he will leave Palace at the end of the season.
Ferdinand, however, urged his former club to look elsewhere for their next appointment and said a fiery character might be better to try and shake things up and effect change at Old Trafford.
And the former Red Devils captain pinpointed former Premier League managers Conte and De Zerbi as two he would like to see high up on the shortlist.
‘We’ve had every single type of manager now,’ Ferdinand said on BBC 5 Live Sport. ‘We’ve had the wily, old Louis van Gaal, the experience of him and someone like Jose Mourinho. Probably not at his Chelsea peak but still a massive name with great character who knows the Premier League.
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Antonio Conte won the scudetto with Napoli last season (Picture: Getty)
Roberto De Zerbi lead Marseille back to the Champions League (Picture: Getty)
‘We’ve had the young, upcoming managers like (Erik) Ten Hag and Amorim. Then we’ve had the local legends who know the club.
‘We now probably need to go down the lunatic road. We need to go down the people that are passionate and a bit gun-slinger type that just go at it, who won’t have it from the media and may be hard to handle for the club owners and people who operate in the football.
@flemingben Have Manchester United got a problem under Michael Carrick? #premierleague #manchesterunited #manutd #yoro ♬ original sound – Ben Fleming: Sports Journalist
‘When I say lunatic, there are only two people that I’m looking at right now. And by the way lunatic isn’t being disrepectful, it’s just poeople who are very different and don’t care if they are going to rustle some feathers.
‘(Antonio) Conte jumps off the page to me. I think he’s somebody who would jump at the opportunity, if I’m not being disrespectful to where he is right now. He knows the league; he’s won the league here.
‘I think he came into Chelsea and Napoli when they were both tenth or eleventh and won the league both times. So he knows how to come in and stabilise and become successful quickly.’
Ferdinand continued: ‘On the other hand you’ve got someone that can coach their team and get a playing style and an identity very quickly within a club. He’s done it at three clubs already, and that’s De Zerbi.
‘We need elements of both of those two coaches and I’d be absolutely fine by getting either of them as long as the hierarchy and the people operating football can handle them.’
Carrick will take charge of his first game at the weekend as the Red Devils host Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.
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