Varun Pai
Manchester United never wanted Antonio Conte to become the replacement to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
According to the Evening Standard (h/t The Express), Manchester United never considered Antonio Conte as a ‘serious’ replacement to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer due to the Norwegian’s backing by the board.
The Old Trafford outfit was thrashed 5-0 by their arch-rivals Liverpool last Sunday, and Solskjaer’s future at the club looked severely bleak as club chiefs held talks over his future.
The defeat to the Anfield outfit meant that the club had failed to pick up a victory in over a month and shifted out of the Top 6 at the same time.
However, despite all of this, it is believed that the 48-year-old always had the backing of several figures at the club and have an ‘overwhelming desire’ to see the former Molde boss achieve success at the club. The gaffer hit back at his critics over the past weekend as he slammed Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 – which was pretty much a make-or-break game for the Norwegian.
But before the game, it was thought that Antonio Conte was ready to take over the reins from Solskjaer had he been sacked. The Italian boss was interested in the job, but United apparently never considered him to be a ‘serious option.
The 52-year-old is now set to become the manager of Tottenham Hotspur after the North London club sacked Nuno Espirito Santo post the defeat against the Red Devils.
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In fact, there is no turning back for Conte now as it is thought that only a ‘dramatic change of plan’ could lead to United landing the former Inter Milan manager.
The 2017 Premier League-winning boss has a great track record of winning everywhere he goes, and the Manchester-based club will certainly be hoping that they do not regret snapping up the Italian manager when they could.
