DERBY COUNTY MANAGER Paul Clement will be calling on the help of mentor Carlo Ancelotti as he plots Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth-round downfall tomorrow night.
The 43-year-old arrived at the club in June with a high profile having spent several years working under Ancelotti — first at Chelsea, then at Paris-Saint Germain and most recently at Real Madrid.
Clement says he would not be scared to call on the Italian coach for advice ahead of the visit of Louis van Gaal’s struggling United, as the Rams target victory over their Premier League rivals.
“I am in touch with Carlo a lot and if I really need him I know he will be there for me. I will speak to him before the game on Friday,” he told reporters.
“You have to take the advice of those close to you and block out the noise.
“He said he was coming to our training ground a while ago, and he said he was coming to the United game, and now says he can’t. He has obviously got better offers at the moment.
“He’s super calm. He will tell me to work with the players, get close to the players and ignore everything else. He always used to say ‘control what you are in control of.’”
Derby are winless in their last five games but remain promotion candidates with 49 points from 28 games — just six points shy of automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Clement even suggested that should his Derby side knock United out of the FA Cup it would not be a giant-killing – given United’s poor form.
“I’m not sure it will quite be a giant-killing if we get a good result on Friday but it will be an upset, and we all know there has been lots of those over the years in the FA Cup,” he said.
“Assuming we perform well, it’s a fantastic opportunity – both clubs are in a difficult period. United have had an awful December and a mixed January and we’ve been going through a tricky period.
“But I’ve won the FA Cup twice before with Chelsea and we’ll be going strong.
“It’s a challenge we are really looking forward to up against a team that is not in great form but is a massive club with a great history, and you know on any day they can produce a great performance.”
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