“I’d like to go” – 57-year-old manager linked with Man Utd drops major OT hint | OneFootball

Italian manager Antonio Conte may have winked at Manchester United’s officials, who are reportedly interested in his services.

At the end of the previous campaign, INEOS confirmed Michael Carrick as the first team’s permanent head coach following a highly impressive stint as interim manager.

However, the 45-year-old has fallen off rough times since the start of the new season, with the Reds only winning one of their first five Premier League fixtures.

This unpleasant situation has prompted links to several top managerial candidates, especially those who are currently available.

Antonio Conte hints at Man Utd desire

(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

After leaving Napoli at the end of the previous campaign, Conte is now considered one of the most prominent coaches on the market.

The Lecce native won league titles at Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Napoli, so many identify him as one of the most successful coaches of the past 15 years.

In recent weeks, some sources named Conte as one of the leading candidates to replace Carrick should Man Utd decide to wield the axe.

While the Italian didn’t mention MUFC, he revealed his desire to help a falling giant restore its former glory.

“If you go to a club where the history speaks for itself — a history made up of trophies, league titles and victories — you can only honour that history in one way: by having the ambition to bring that club back — if it isn’t there today — to fight for those goals,” said Conte in his interview with The Athletic.

“Even that one per cent — but it must be a one per cent that can become 70, 80 or even 100 per cent. It depends on how you convey it. The manager is important, because he conveys that message, day in, day out.

“He has daily interactions with everyone: with his staff, the masseur, the kit man, the physiotherapist, the groundsman — all people who need to be involved and feel part of the drive to make history, and you only make history by winning,” added the former Juventus captain.

“There are many clubs that have somewhat lost sight of their history. I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more.

“Clubs where there’s pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you’re not going there just to take part, but to compete.”

Is Conte the ideal profile for Man United?

(Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United have tried all sorts of solutions: the young and the experienced, the club legends and foreigners, but the results have been similar.

Nevertheless, Conte’s track record suggests he might have something extra to offer, as he often finishes either in first place or as a runner-up, at least when he has a competitive team at his disposal.

The Italian is a locker room general like Jose Mourinho, but with modern-day ideas. Like Erik ten Hag, he is obsessed with tactics, but is a far more charming character than the Dutchman, and is able to bring star players to his cause.

Conte is also famous for playing with a three at the back, but unlike Ruben Amorim, he is willing to adopt another a more suitable formation when required, as proved in his title-winning campaign at Napoli, when he implemented a 4-3-3 formation to accommodate Scott McTominay.

So when the Italian says he wants a club to take over a club that has ‘lost sight of its history’, it’s very difficult to look beyond Man Utd, even though it could be interpreted as a plea to his former employers, Juventus, who haven’t won a Serie A title in more than six years.