October 30th 2024.
Ruud van Nistelrooy had been appointed as the interim boss for Manchester United. His appointment was met with happiness by Enzo Maresca, who was looking forward to meeting up with his old friend when Chelsea would visit Old Trafford over the weekend. This decision was made after Erik ten Hag was relieved of his duties due to a string of poor results at the start of the season. Van Nistelrooy was now in charge while the club considered their options.
His first major challenge would come tomorrow night as United faced Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake. After Ten Hag's dismissal, Ruben Amorim emerged as the frontrunner for the permanent position, with United intending to pay his release clause of €10million. However, Amorim stated that nothing was decided and that his future would become clear in due time. When asked about the speculation surrounding Amorim, Maresca refused to comment but expressed his excitement at facing Van Nistelrooy on the touchline, as they had played together and maintained a friendship since their time at Malaga.
Maresca also revealed that they had started to watch PSV games in preparation for their match against United. He expressed sadness for Ten Hag but also happiness for Van Nistelrooy. As for Chelsea, Maresca had led them to a strong start to the season, currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table. He was focused on building something different for the club after years of upheaval and disappointment. The target was not just to finish in the top four, but to build something important for the next few years.
Before their trip to Old Trafford, Chelsea would also face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. Maresca was hoping for a similar outcome to their previous match, where they had defeated Newcastle in the Premier League. Jadon Sancho, who had joined on loan from Manchester United, had been left on the bench for the last two games due to tactical reasons, but Maresca assured that he was doing well and would have opportunities to play in the future. The focus for Maresca was taking one game at a time, rather than thinking about top four or top six finishes. He believed that by approaching each game individually, the team would be able to see where they stood in the moment and continue to work hard.
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