Roberto De Zerbi showed his Marseille players a contract offer from Manchester United during a team talk, according to reports.
The former Brighton boss has been in charge of the French side since his appointment in the summer.
Roberto De Zerbi reportedly showed his Marseille players a contract offer from Manchester United[/caption]
He signed a three-year deal through to 2027 with OM, who currently sit third in Ligue 1.
De Zerbi’s arrival came after he had been linked with replacing Erik ten Hag at United at the end of last season.
The Italian instead joined Marseille, with Ten Hag remaining at Old Trafford until his dismissal last month.
According to L’Equipe, though, De Zerbi did receive an offer from the Red Devils and even showed it to his new squad before their season opener.
The report claims he told his players: “This is where I could have been, but I put my passion before money. I came to Marseille for the passion.”
His approach appeared to pay off as Marseille went on to beat Brest 5-1 in their first match of the campaign.
Their fortunes have declined in recent weeks, though, with Friday’s defeat to Auxerre leaving De Zerbi’s men nine points adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Marseille have also won just two of their last six matches, prompting him to threaten to quit after their latest loss.
During his post-match press conference, De Zerbi said: “If I’m the problem, I’m ready to leave.
“I’ll leave without the money, I don’t care about all the rest.
De Zerbi has won just two of his last six matches as Marseille boss[/caption]
“I came to Marseille for the Velodrome, to play at the Velodrome. And I can’t get the players to give here what I see in training and in away games. It’s my fault, it’s my responsibility.
“Playing at the Velodrome is a privilege. I want to be able to pass on to the people who work with me what I think about football. And I can’t do that.”
Meanwhile, the United job is no longer available despite Ten Hag leaving the club.
Ruben Amorim has instead been appointed and will take over following the international break.
