Enzo Maresca has joked about his former team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who will take charge of Manchester United against Chelsea on Sunday.
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- Maresca played with Van Nistelrooy
- Jokes that former teammate was 'finished'
- Coaches face each other on Sunday
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Maresca said in a pre-match presser that he had not spoken to the interim Red Devils boss ahead of this weekend's fixture, but claimed he was excited to give the former United striker – who ended his career at Malaga while Maresca was also playing for the Spanish side – a "big hug" on Sunday. He also joked about the Dutchman's quality levels during those late playing days.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The two coaches came together briefly toward the end of their respective careers, and seemed to get on well. Over a decade later, the pair are two of Europe's most hotly-tipped young coaches, with Maresca in particular showing his pedigree by quickly developing Chelsea's rag-tag bunch of youngsters into a coherent team capable of playing some extremely attractive possession-based football.
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WHAT MARESCA SAID
"I haven't spoken with Ruud," Maresca told reporters. "I will give him a big hug on Sunday before the game. We expect a tough game."
Asked about his memories from their time playing together, he added: "First of all, [he is] a fantastic guy. Unfortunately I shared with him a time where was already finished! But even with that, you can see how good he was. We had a very good group of human beings with Malaga at the time so it is always nice to remember that moment."
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WHAT NEXT FOR MARESCA?
Despite the kind words, you can bet Maresca will have steeled himself for the task ahead and built a sturdy plan for beating Van Nistelrooy's United side this Sunday, when the Blues travel north to Manchester for an intriguing kick-off in the Premier League. Jadon Sancho won't be available for the trip to Old Trafford, but Chelsea's stacked squad means Maresca still has a huge amount of talent at his disposal.
