Roberto De Zerbi 'revealed his Manchester United contract offer to the Marseille squad' but made sure a section of it was blurred out.
De Zerbi shone during his managerial spell in the Premier League with Brighton before leaving his post towards the end of the 2023/24 season.
He was linked with a host of Europe's top clubs before being appointed at Marseille.
One of them being Man United, who reportedly expressed an interest in hiring De Zerbi to replace Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
What's more, the Italian boss even showed a copy of the contract he had been offered to his Marseille players.
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That's according to French outlet L'Equipe, who claim the 45-year-old used a projector to display the contract he was offered, with the finer details blurred out, including how much he would have earned.
The report alleges that De Zerbi told his players: "This is where I could have been, but I put my passion before money. I came to Marseille for the passion."
He is said to have made the statement before taking charge of his first league game, which they won 5-1 away at Brest.
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De Zerbi's side have since won five of their next 10 league games as they sit in third place in Ligue 1, with 20 points on the board - nine points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Marseille, however, suffered a damaging home defeat in their last outing, losing 3-1 at home to Auxerre.
As for Ten Hag, he signed a contract extension last summer but was relieved of his duties last month.
Ruben Amorim has been appointed and will oversee his first game for his new side after the international break, which will be away at Ipswich Town on November 24.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy has been placed in temporary charge, having led his side to victories against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup and PAOK in the Europa League.
Topics: Roberto De Zerbi, Marseille, Manchester United, Football
Nasir Jabbar