Man Utd told INEOS ‘clowns’ will cost them world-class manager with ‘puppet’ to join instead

The Manchester United hierarchy has been torn apart by a World Cup winner who thinks the Old Trafford ‘circus’ will put off elite coaches from joining, with an INEOS ‘puppet’ tipped to arrive as manager instead.

Man Utd sacked Ruben Amorim on January 5, the day after his explosive post-Leeds United press conference in which he insisted he joined to be manager, not head coach. Amorim had also fallen out with director of football Jason Wilcox behind the scenes over transfers and tactics.

Wilcox reportedly refused to give Amorim significant backing in the January transfer window, while he also angered the Portuguese by getting too involved in team selection and strategy.

Man Utd have appointed Michael Carrick as caretaker manager to see them through until the end of the season. We revealed on Monday that Carrick has been told he is in contention for the job permanently , though United chiefs will also consider other, more experienced options.

Luis Enrique , Carlo Ancelotti, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Enzo Maresca are just some of the big names to have been linked with the role.

Enrique would be a sublime appointment after he guided Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League and an incredible quadruple last season.

But former Arsenal, Chelsea and France star Emmanuel Petit savaged United when asked about Enrique potentially heading there.

“Luis Enrique to Man Utd? I know that Luis Enrique hasn’t signed an extension at PSG , but I’m pretty sure that Luis Enrique is an intelligent guy. He knows perfectly that he cannot achieve anything bigger than what he did last season with Paris Saint-Germain,” Petit said (via MEN ) .

“The Qatari owners were looking for that for ages and with Luis Enrique, they achieved their dream of winning the Champions League, they were playing brilliantly as well.

“Now, Luis Enrique knows exactly what he did last season. He cannot repeat it. That’s why he doesn’t want to sign another contract with PSG .

“Should he go to Manchester United? The circus of Manchester United? Do you think a guy like Luis Enrique would work there? Since the Qatari owners arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, they had never given the power to their manager.

“They always controlled the dressing room, who was going to be out of the club, who was going to come to the club. Then they gave the power to Luis Enrique and they won the Champions League.”

Petit continued: “He has the power [at PSG] to say, ‘No, I want to keep him. Sell this player. Bring this player.’ So if he comes, if he goes to Manchester United , do you think that will work with all these clowns behind him at Manchester United?

“Those guys are saying to the manager, ‘You should do this. You should play this player. Why did you say you would like to get this player? No, no, no, we are not focused on him. We are planning to bring another player.’

“Just like what happened with Enzo Maresca to Chelsea. Can you imagine the likes of Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, or Jose Mourinho coming to Manchester United in their current state? Not a chance.

“It’s like they want a puppet, I’d challenge them to go and sit on that bench instead of putting pressure on the manager.”

It was claimed recently that United have moved away from Enrique as he does not have Premier League experience . That is despite his stunning track record.

The Spaniard does not intend to leave PSG anyway, having slammed the ‘fake news’ suggesting he is unhappy and eyeing a new job .

Instead, the likes of Oliver Glasner, Roberto De Zerbi and Tuchel are prime candidates to take over at United this summer.

Our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher exclusively revealed on January 6 that De Zerbi ‘wants the job’ and has ‘huge admiration’ from INEOS decision-makers.