Roberto De Zerbi Breaks Silence On Marseille Future Amid Manchester United Links
Roberto De Zerbi played down reports claiming he asked to resign as Marseille head coach.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Updated on 30 January 2026
Roberto De Zerbi has broken his silence on his Marseille future amid speculation involving Manchester United.
The Italian has been linked with Manchester United in recent months, adding extra noise to his situation earlier this week.
Marseille suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the final Champions League group-stage game.
As a result, they finished 25th and dropped out of the competition, putting De Zerbi under serious pressure.
And on Thursday night, reports were doing the rounds claiming De Zerbi wanted to resign from the Marseille role.
Roberto De Zerbi commits to Marseille: ‘I have the strength to stay’
Roberto De Zerbi has now addressed rumours of his desire to quit by saying there is “nothing to confirm”.
At Friday’s press conference, he poured cold water on those reports, stressing that he “was manager of Marseille and I still am now”.
De Zerbi admitted he did speak with Pablo Longoria and Medhi Benatia on Thursday to find the “best possible solution”.
However, the suggestion was that this did not necessarily involve him stepping down.
“I am still here, I’m now here before you – that is the truth,” De Zerbi said, as relayed by Get French Football News.
“Pablo Longoria and Medhi Benatia, we spoke last night. We got together to try to find the best possible solution. This match is also partly my fault.”
When asked whether he was going to stay until the end of the season, De Zerbi said: “There is nothing to confirm. I was manager of Marseille, and I still am now.”
🚨 Roberto De Zerbi: “I’m staying at OM. I am strong enough to stay at least 5-6 years more at Olympique Marseille”.
“The players are with me”. 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Mxf4ug6bY4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 30, 2026
When asked if he still has the passion to succeed with Marseille, the Italian said: “I think I have the strength to stay at Marseille for six or seven seasons, it’s not a question.
“What annoys me is the defeat – it’s not a question of passion but a feeling of powerlessness to lose in that manner.
“They are defeats which stay with you, we have the force to get ourselves back up like we have multiple times last season.”
De Zerbi plans Marseille stay: Mixed news for Manchester United, great news for Arsenal
Roberto De Zerbi quickly poured cold water on the reports claiming he wanted to depart the club.
This is mixed news for Manchester United, because they likely would have been keeping an eye on the situation.
Although they are looking for a new permanent manager after sacking Ruben Amorim, an interim coach is currently in place.
Indeed, Michael Carrick has had a good start at Old Trafford, so he could be in with a shout for the role on a permanent basis.
Meanwhile, Man United’s rivals Arsenal will be happy with De Zerbi’s comments.
They loaned Ethan Nwaneri to Marseille largely because they wanted him to learn under De Zerbi.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte is a sports journalist with over a decade of professional experience in the industry. His main professional expertise is in soccer. Prior to joining FootItalia, he worked for the likes of Sports Mole, TBR Football, the Chelsea Chronicle and numerous other sites, along with having bylines in the likes of the Nottingham Post. He holds degrees in Journalism and International Relations.
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