Rio Ferdinand wants Man Utd to appoint permanent boss who's held secret talks with club

Manchester United's next move is deciding on a permanent appointment following Michael Carrick's arrival as interim coach, with one contender having reportedly held talks already

Rio Ferdinand wants Manchester United to hire Roberto De Zerbi as their next permanent manager, after the former Brighton boss reportedly held secret negotiations with the Premier League powerhouse.

Ferdinand's former team-mate, Michael Carrick, was unveiled as interim manager on Tuesday and will take the reins for the remainder of the season. However, the 2008 Champions League winner has a major task on his hands if he's to convince the board that he's the man to remain long-term.

Instead, Ferdinand believes De Zerbi is the right man to permanently replace Ruben Amorim. It was reported De Zerbi rejected an offer from United prior to accepting his current job at Marseille, but Old Trafford icon Ferdinand reckons he could still make for a good fit.

"Someone who's free right now; not free [but] someone who's gettable," he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents while discussing potential permanent appointments.

"More than someone like [Thomas] Tuchel, because Tuchel would be one of my biggest picks as well, is De Zerbi. I'm telling you. Any formation he wants to play, the guy is a proper coach who gets players working and playing."

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Co-host Joel Beya interceded and gave his opinion that United "don't want that," suggesting De Zerbi would "flip his wig" upon seeing the issues at United. For years, rumblings have escalated around behind-the-scenes issues at Old Trafford, from outdated training facilities to the need for a stadium upgrade, and that's without mentioning the in-house politics concerning the board.

De Zerbi, 46, has reportedly had several fallouts with Marseille decision-makers. There was speculation last April that the Italian expressed frustration regarding the club's transfer ambitions, even threatening to leave if a certain level of commitment wasn't shown in securing reinforcements.

He's also laid down the hammer by ejecting both Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe from the club last summer following a training ground bust-up. That's in addition to a video of him berating Ismael Kone and telling him to "call his agent" for ill discipline shortly before the youngster was loaned to one of De Zerbi's old clubs, Sassuolo.

"I'd bring fire to the party, I'm telling you," Ferdinand continued. "I'd bring fire... I wouldn't bring craziness, but I'd bring [in] someone who's bringing that fire, that passion.

"But really, really backed up by someone who's shown that they can coach the life out of a team. They can coach the hell out of a team. They can coach individuals, improve players and can really put down a way of playing football. I really do believe you need someone who is strong on their own identity."

De Zerbi's Marseille were paving the way to a Ligue 1 title challenge earlier this season, backed up by a particularly fearsome home record. However, Les Olympiens have since slipped to third in the table and eight points off the lead after winning just one of their last four league games.

It might please many United supporters to know De Zerbi mainly promotes a back-four system that many at Old Trafford have been yearning to see post-Amorim. However, the fiery attitude Ferdinand wants and that De Zerbi would inevitably bring may not be the solution United's board is seeking.

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