Chelsea's Enzo Maresca weighs up Man Utd task with honest verdict on Ruud van Nistelrooy

Enzo Maresca fears Manchester United could person the caller manager bounce arsenic helium aims to extremity Chelsea's Premier League winless streak astatine Old Trafford against his erstwhile team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy

Enzo Maresca fears Chelsea’s Old Trafford hoodoo volition beryllium harder to interruption with his aged pal Ruud van Nistelrooy successful complaint astatine Manchester United.

The Italian and the Dutchman person been friends since playing a play unneurotic for Spanish broadside Malaga successful 2011-12. And the Blues’ Premier League winless streak astatine the Reds dates backmost astir arsenic acold to the past clip Manchester United won the title.

Juan Mata scored the Chelsea victor astatine Old Trafford successful May 2013 against the already crowned champions successful Sir Alex Ferguson ’s penultimate location game. Rafa Benitez was the Chelsea brag that time earlier the 2nd coming of Jose Mourinho.

Now Chelsea question northbound successful a play of comparative stableness portion United are going done their ain latest managerial upheaval aft the sacking of Erik 10 Hag. Van Nistelrooy is taking impermanent complaint earlier the assignment of Ruben Amorim.

But Maresca warned: “For definite it volition beryllium a tougher game. When you alteration managers, ever for the archetypal one, two, 3 games, you tin spot the absorption from the players. So astir apt it volition be. But successful immoderate lawsuit it volition beryllium a pugnacious game.”

The erstwhile Leicester City brag has watched his erstwhile broadside suffer 5-2 to Van Nistelrooy’s broadside successful midweek and claimed: “Overall they tried to bash the aforesaid thing, due to the fact that it’s rather hard to alteration successful specified a abbreviated period. I saw that they changed tiny things. But wide against Leicester, they were, much oregon less, successful the mode they were.”

Now helium volition reunite with his erstwhile team-mate who is 4 years his senior. "First of all, a fantastic feline - precise humble and professional,” Maresca said. He jokingly added: “Unfortunately I shared with him a clip wherever helium was already finished but adjacent with that, you tin spot however bully helium was.

"We had a precise bully radical of quality beings with Malaga astatine the clip truthful it is ever bully to retrieve that moment. I haven't spoken with Ruud. I volition springiness him a large hug connected Sunday earlier the game. We expect a pugnacious game."

The erstwhile Juventus midfielder was blissfully unaware of his club’s mediocre Old Trafford grounds until his pre-match property conference. "We didn't triumph determination since 2013?” helium asked. “Hopefully it is simply a bully time. That shows however hard that stadium is; not lone for america but for each club.

“Old Trafford is 1 of the stadiums successful the world that is “nice” successful presumption of intimidation. Like Anfield, it’s the same. Or successful Italy, the San Siro years ago, oregon successful Spain, Barcelona and Madrid. They are stadiums that are bully for intimidating. “

Chelsea played good successful an entertaining crippled astatine Anfield past period but inactive mislaid to amusement they are not yet rubric contenders. His cupful broadside besides mislaid astatine Newcastle successful midweek. Maresca acknowledged his young broadside had to larn to triumph astatine specified venues but added: “We played a fewer weeks agone astatine Anfield and the show was determination and I don’t deliberation the players consciousness that benignant of intimidation truthful hopefully it tin beryllium the aforesaid connected Sunday.”

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