Conte is one of the favourites to take over should Solskjaer be sacked
Antonio Conte has been made one of the favourites to take over the Manchester United job should under-fire boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be sacked.
The Norwegian is under severe pressure after a 4-2 defeat to Leicester City left the Red Devils outside the top four, with no wins in their last three league games. They now face five of the current top six in their next run of fixtures.
Despite plenty of discontent from United supporters, The Athletic reported that Solskjaer has the backing of the board and that he will remain as manager for the time being.
As with any job in football, plenty of names have been touted to replace Solskjaer should he be sacked, with Conte one of the most prominent names linked with the role at Old Trafford.
And according to the Mirror, the Italian would be open to taking on the role, while revealing the reasons he turned down the opportunity to manage Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.
The former Chelsea boss explained why he didn’t take the job, highlighting that that his ambitions didn’t align with what was expected of him as well as the huge overhaul that would have been required at the club.
During an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte revealed he needs to be convinced to take on a challenge.
He said: “I look for the projects instead and I am ready to stay at home if something is not convincing me.
“It has to do with vision, honesty and principles. Generally, I like challenges and I’ve accepted many of them during my career.
“Even the top clubs I coached were never the favourites when I arrived.
“However, if there’s something that doesn’t convince me I prefer not to accept, regardless of the money.”
While there is a project at United, there is belief that the squad at present is good enough to challenge for a Premier League title.
The feeling is that should the Italian be given the chance to manage, he would be able to maximise the side’s full potential, while making his own changes to improve their fortunes.
Related links:
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to remain Man Utd manager despite run of poor results
- Micah Richards claims Man Utd “lack identity” under Solskjaer
- Gary Neville describes Man Utd as “shoddy, scrappy and scruffy”
