'One of most influential managers in 20 years' - Pep Guardiola thinks this man would be perfect for Manchester United

Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have made no secret of their admiration for Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi amid Manchester United's interest in his services.

The Manchester Evening News understands the Brighton boss is of interest to United as uncertainty continues to surround Erik ten Hag's future in the Old Trafford hot-seat. United suffered a 10th Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday, losing 2-1 to Fulham, leaving them eight points shy of the top four.

Ineos are understood to have analysed potential replacements for the Dutchman, who will watch his side face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth-round on Wednesday night, and De Zerbi is of interest. The Italian, 44, has overseen a terrific job at Brighton since replacing Graham Potter in September 2022.

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As well as leading them to the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season, where they were beaten by United on penalties, he also led them to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, resulting in them securing Europa League qualification for this term. They won their respective group, winning four of their six matches, and face Roma in the last-16 next month.

All of that has been achieved while playing an exciting brand of football that has earned rave reviews and plaudits. Many feared Brighton would regress when Potter was poached by Chelsea, but De Zerbi has taken them to new heights, earning no shortage of neutral support along the way.

As a result of the success De Zerbi has enjoyed during his time at the Amex Stadium thus far, he has already been