Carlo Ancelotti open to Manchester United job as he targets Premier League return

EXCLUSIVE: '...for every manager, they would all think of managing Manchester United'

(Jon Super)

Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to wait until the summer of 2017 to return to management at a club with a “good project” – opening up the prospect of a move to Manchester United.

The former Chelsea manager, who guided Milan and Real Madrid to a total of three European Cups, says that he is keen to take a new job next summer, with the Premier League his favoured destination. However, the 56-year-old insists he will not rush back into work if the right opportunity does not materialise at the end of this season.

“I will continue to wait,” Ancelotti tells The Independent. “If I don’t find a club with a good project, I can wait. What will I do? Watching games, fishing, all these things. But let us see next summer. I will not take a job in mid-season, but I would like to work again next summer.”

Ancelotti was a leading contender to replace David Moyes at United in 2014, with senior figures at Old Trafford identifying the Italian as a favoured candidate alongside Louis van Gaal. But with Ancelotti securing his Madrid future by winning the Champions League, he remained in Spain to leave the path clear for Van Gaal, who has claimed he will retire when his United contract expires in June 2017.

And while he insists he does not regret remaining at Real in 2014, only to be sacked a year later, Ancelotti admits managing United would be an attraction. “Of course, for every manager, they would all think of managing Manchester United,” Ancelotti says.

“But I have no regrets about staying at Real because I really enjoyed Madrid. I would like to come back in a club with a good project, but, of course, one that is competitive.

“When I went to PSG, it was a club with a really good project. They were not a club with a tradition like Milan or Madrid, but they wanted to grow and are still on this path now. But, the Premier League is the best in the sense of atmosphere, ambience. It is also competitive, so I would like to come back, especially for the atmosphere.”