As a badly slagging Manchester United prepare to take on Atalanta in the Champions League this evening, increasingly beleaguered United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be pitting his football wits against Gian Piero Gasperini, the unassuming Italian coach Sir Alex Ferguson himself had previously hoped would end up as his potential successor at Old Trafford.
Undeniably, Manchester United are led by a man who had spent almost his entire football career listening to, and learning – even if the results may say otherwise – from Sir Alex Ferguson, and Solskjaer understands the club and honors its traditions as a true blue United soldier, which has certainly given him lots of leeway with the Old Trafford hierarchy and fans alike, fortunately.
The Norwegian has been presiding over a successive run of losses this season and will certainly be hoping his United side can get back to winning ways against Atalanta in the Champions League encounter this evening against Atalanta. However, if one could read deeper into the situation, it would be fascinating to have a real insight into Sir Alex’s innermost thoughts regarding the clash between both managers and their teams it could well have been the man in the away dugout leading the home side tonight if Fergie had had his way in the earlier years.
Although having spent his entire managerial career in his native Italy yet with no major honors to show at 63, Gian Piero Gasperini has had the distinction of being named Serie A’s Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020 following his work with a totally unfancied Atalanta side, which says a heckuva lot for the man.
Despite La Dea never having won the top flight honors, Gasperini has delivered three successive third-place finishes and also twice led them to the knockout stages of the Champions League, losing creditably to finalists PSG in 2020. And the Italian was already making a heavy impression even before his tenure in Bergamo, with Ferguson being an ardent admirer.
The Scotsman is not new to seeing several of his previous assistants move on to achieve big things after leaving Old Trafford, from Carlos Queiroz taking over at Real Madrid to Steve McLaren heading the England team. And even as far back as 2009, Ferguson had wanted Gasperini to be his No. 2 at Old Trafford with a view to him succeeding him when he retired, according to Tuttosport. Gasperini was then in charge of Genoa, whom he led to the Europa League against all odds.
With his Serie A side becoming renowned for a hard-working ethos yet fluent patterns of play that reflected the Italian coach’s nous and savvy moves, Gasperini’s unique style of football caught Ferguson’s eye. United scouts were sent to the port city, situated in the northwest of Italy, to watch Genoa. Eventually, however, Ferguson was left to settle for David Moyes as his successor, an appointment that didn’t last even a season and he became the first manager sacked following the club legend’s retirement. United subsequently settled on Solskjaer, with the current Red Devils boss leading the club for longer than anyone post-Ferguson.
63-year-old Gasperini evidently has no regrets in making Bergamo the place for his long-term future despite more established clubs still keeping keen eyes on him. In fact, the Italian coach has even name-checked the former United doyen, citing him as a the man he wants to emulate.
“I can see myself staying here for a long time, like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport magazine Sportweek.
“I have settled perfectly into this city and feel very much at home. I’ll add that if you are not able to get a football project working here, then you won’t get it to work anywhere.
“On the one hand, I would like to try another experience at the top level, but on the other, I’d set a lot more limitations to what I am prepared to do than in the past.
“I am in a truly privileged situation, so tearing me away from here will not be easy…”
Gasperini took over at Atalanta in 2016 and has overseen an impressive rise despite clubs continuing to poach his top players – which is a full testament to the abilities of the man who could well have been the manager in the United dugout this evening if Sir Alex Ferguson had indeed had his way.