Manchester United have received a warning over the prospect of appointing Antonio Conte to replace current head coach Michael Carrick, with former Chelsea player Jason Cundy insisting that “things went south very quickly” during the Italian’s spell at Stamford Bridge.
Conte appears to be engineering a return to management following his exit from Serie A giants Napoli at the end of last season. Having previously managed Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, he has been mooted as a potential successor to Carrick at Old Trafford.
That speculation stems in part from United’s poor start to the campaign. Carrick’s side have collected just five points from their opening five Premier League games, and they have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup.
Conte ‘wants Manchester United’
Carrick needs to improve United’s form after the international break, and Italian journalist Marco Messino has claimed that Conte “wants” the job at Old Trafford.
“Conte wants Manchester United,” Messina wrote. “It’s a move that’s had his name written all over it for some time. There’s no coach in the world with a better chance at making them win immediately.”
Man Utd sent warning on appointing Antonio Conte
Cundy, however, urged caution over the idea, pointing to how Conte’s time at Chelsea unravelled despite the trophies he delivered.
“He gets results quickly, he is a fiery Italian and he will fall out and did fall out [at Chelsea],” Cundy said on talkSPORT.
“Not just falling out with the people that he works for, fell out with a couple of players, things went south very quickly.
“He did win the Premier League, did win the FA Cup.
“If Jose Mourinho is a 10/10 in terms of losing your head, Antonio Conte comes in at about a seven or a six.
“He’s not quite on the same level, but it will all fall apart at the seams eventually.”
United still backing Carrick
Despite the noise, respected reporter Fabrizio Romano has said United currently plan to stick with Carrick.
“Manchester United is sending signals of confidence when it comes to Michael Carrick for one reason above all: the club feels it, believes the players are 100% behind the manager, there’s no fracture or break,” Romano said.
“But three defeats, two draws, and just two wins (at home to Ipswich and Sabah) in the last seven games are too few to remain safe.
“Improvement and a turnaround are needed to avoid the first clouds over Old Trafford: the names of Conte and Julian Nagelsmann, available after leaving Germany, are circulating for various reasons; the former Bayern player was on United’s list years ago.
“But the club persists, placing their faith in Carrick, hoping to improve and reverse the trend starting with the home match against Tottenham.”