Manchester United singled out Luis Enrique as a manager candidate this summer but it was always going to be an incredibly difficult task to lure him to Old Trafford.
Ineos have been assessing candidates for the permanent head coach role at Manchester United and interim boss Michael Carrick is understandably the favourite.
But there is internal admiration for Luis Enrique at Old Trafford, and why wouldn’t there be? The Spaniard has made Paris Saint-Germain the champions of Europe and one of the most feared teams around.
On Tuesday evening, Enrique’s PSG won a nine-goal thriller against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and it was evident that fans were watching the two best teams in the world go head-to-head.
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Enrique ended PSG’s wait for Champions League glory, and he has transformed them into a footballing powerhouse.
Despite reports that Enrique is tempted by the Premier League, it seems the Spaniard is loving life – and football – in Paris.
After beating Bayern Munich, Enrique said: “We deserved to win, we deserved to draw and we deserved to lose today.
“It was a fantastic match. It has been, without a doubt, the best match I have ever been involved in as a coach.
“I’ve never experienced a match with this intensity and such a desire to win.”
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Luis Enrique is closing in on new PSG contract to end Man Utd links
United’s links to Enrique have always been hopeful and somewhat tentative, but it seems they will be dead and buried sooner rather than later.
That is because Enrique is close to a new PSG contract, which will finally put to bed any rumours of his exit.
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Enrique is close to signing an extension in Paris which will keep him in charge of PSG until 2030 with a pay rise included in the deal.
Gary Neville wanted Enrique at United, and many Red Devils fans would agree, but it seems Ineos will have to accept that the Spaniard is out of reach.
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