Vaguely linked with the Manchester United job towards the end of José Mourinho’s tenure and once the Portuguese was sacked, Laurent Blanc is still without a job.
Said to be waiting for the right project to step back into management, the former Red Devil remains a football fan first and foremost, and was the perfect man for Le Parisien to interview ahead of the upcoming Champions League clash between the Premier League club and Paris Saint-Germain.
Having managed a chunk of the players still at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal, Blanc admits he will be cheering the French side in the tie, despite Manchester United having had a huge impact on him as a player, transferring there from Inter in 2001 for two seasons before retiring.
The 53-year-old, when asked about his time at Old Trafford, said: “That magnificent stadium, Sir Alex, ending my career on a Premier League title, having known the ‘baby class’ of Beckham, Giggs, Neville, Butt, Scholes. It was amazing.
“This English mentality that I was apprehensive of at first is fantastic. They live through football. It’s a unique culture. When you give everything, you earn the respect. I remember the team being given a standing ovation at Old Trafford despite a loss because we’d given everything. They love sacrifice. It’s great.”
Ideally wanting to return to management in the summer, Blanc knows it isn’t up to him, needing a team to come forward and approach him.
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doing so well, it seems Manchester United won’t be one of the clubs knocking, but with the way things are going elsewhere, perhaps a couple of teams in the Premier League’s top six could be in need of someone in a few months.
Then, it all depends on whether he wants to manage in England, but when your last job was Paris Saint-Germain, there’s only a few clubs where the next step will be seen as progress rather than a step backwards.
