Cristiano Ronaldo once told Manchester United to hire Luis Enrique as head coach – only for the timing to prove too difficult as Old Trafford chiefs instead appointed Erik ten Hag to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Enrique was committed to managing Spain at the 2022 World Cup and felt the need to fulfil his contract having been shown loyalty by the country’s football association when he took compassionate leave following the passing of his daughter.
And while La Roja bowed out in the round of 16 in Qatar, Enrique’s credentials as one of the world ’s top coaches has been boosted since thanks to Paris Saint-Germain’s drive towards a first elusive Champions League.
Enrique, also a former Barcelona boss, oversaw PSG ’s 1-0 first leg win in the semi-finals away to Arsenal on Tuesday night but according to reports it could easily have gone differently if United were able to bring him to the north west three years ago.
Yet they are not the only Premier League side to have considered hiring him with various past reports saying Chelsea turned him down on two separate occasions, Arsenal decided not to bring him to the Emirates, while Tottenham came close before backing out.
A report in The Times in 2018 said that Enrique was considered by Arsenal to be “an inappropriate fit to the position” to replace Arsene Wenger. At the time he had been out of work after leaving Barca but possessed “‘salary demands exceeding the pay of (Wenger)” and a “self-absorbed approach to management (which) would not mesh with the London club’s restructuring strategy.”
He was also talked up as a candidate at Stamford Bridge when Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel left, while there numerous links drawn between him and Spurs before Ange Postecoglou arrived from Celtic.
Regrets? Some might have had a few since Enrique now appears to be Europe’s most-wanted coach having guided PSG through the post-Kylian Mbappe era with a squad full of thrilling, young players.
They have already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title with weeks to spare and are now one game away from reaching a second final. They lost on the previous occasion, the behind closed doors final against Bayern Munich in 2020.
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