Manchester United are back in Premier League action once again on Sunday afternoon as Enzo Maresca and Chelsea visit Old Trafford.
Interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy will lead Manchester United out for the second time in a matter of days.
Chelsea visit Old Trafford after beating Newcastle United last weekend and pose a real threat, spearheaded by boyhood United fan Cole Palmer.
Van Nistelrooy will be desperate for a second home win in a matter of days having also beaten Leicester City 5-2 in the EFL Cup.
United sacked Erik ten Hag last week and Van Nistelrooy has stepped up to become interim boss.
United have now appointed Ruben Amorim as the new head coach, but he doesn’t arrive until after the November international break.
Enzo Maresca on Ruben Amorim to Manchester United
Amorim staying with Sporting for a few more games means Van Nistelrooy finds himself as the main man – despite having no chance of landing the job permanently.
That is a strange situation but Van Nistelrooy is now looking for a victory against a former teammate.
Van Nistelrooy and Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca played together at Malaga during their big-spending days and now lock horns on the touchline at Old Trafford.
Maresca has enjoyed a strong start to life as Chelsea boss and has offered his verdict on Amorim’s move to United.
Speaking to The Mirror, Maresca has hailed Amorim for a ‘fantastic’ style of play, praising the attacking and defending on show at Sporting.
Maresca added that he has ‘no doubt’ that Amorim will succeed at United, but did pinpoint the ‘only difficult thing’ Amorim will encounter.
The Italian believes that the transition from Portugal to England will be a tricky one, but still feels that Amorim ‘will be great’ for United.
“The only thing I can say is I’ve watched many Sporting games and know the way they play,” said Maresca. “It’s a fantastic style, how they defend, the way they attack so for sure, I don’t have any doubt that he’s going to do a great job at Manchester United.
“Probably the only difficult thing he will find is that it’s a different country. To arrive from Portugal to England, it’s just about adapting to that but overall, he’s a very good manager and he will be great,” he added.
United were interested in Enzo Maresca
Amorim must make a big step up at United, just as Maresca is now doing with Chelsea.
Maresca was actually considered for the United job over the summer with Ineos seemingly big fans of his work at Leicester City.
Many doubted the Italian but he has started with five wins from nine Premier League games.
That is a strong start for Maresca, who saw Chelsea sign Jadon Sancho from United on deadline day.
Maresca is still figuring out his squad, including Sancho, but the early signs are good – and United will hope for a similar impact from Amorim when he arrives.
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