07 March 2024 , 06:45
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Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed he will return to Italy to manage one day - despite his name reportedly appearing on Sir Jim Ratcliffe's three-man shortlist to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
For now, though, De Zerbi, who played for several teams in Italy including AC Milan and Napoli, is happy at Brighton as his side prepare to take on Roma in the Europa League.
The Italian said ahead of their last 16 first leg: "I do what makes me happy and right now I am happy where I am. It makes me happy when we win but also when we lose. One day I will return to Italy but I don’t know when that day will come."
De Zerbi has been named on Sir Jim Ratcliffe's shortlist to replace Erik ten Hag, should the new Man United co-owner decide to wield the axe and start afresh at Old Trafford next season, according to ESPN. The other two managers allegedly in contention are England boss Gareth Southgate and Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
De Zerbi has caught Ratcliffe's eye for his stellar work on the south coast, where he has guided the Seagulls to the Europa League for the first time in their history.
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Brighton have struggled to hit the heights of last campaign this term and go into the game at the Stadio Olimpico on the back of a 3-0 defeat by Fulham at the weekend.
"Very proud to be back in my country with my team," De Zerbi said. "This is a team I really love. This is a team that can be beaten 3-0 but always fight back. They play with pride and hunger and I am very proud of this team.
"We will give it a go. We will be humble. We know what we have done in the last year and a half. This is unprecedented for this club and we are making history."
Midfielder Pascal Gross is excited about the prospect of playing in Rome. He said: "It's a beautiful city. Gladiator is one of my favourite movies. We are very excited about tomorrow. We will be humble but will want to do something special."
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