Antonio Conte teases Man Utd with two major admissions on next manager’s job – ‘I’d like to go’

Ex-Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has hinted that he would be open to replacing Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

Former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss Conte has been out of work since leaving Serie A giants Napoli at the end of last season.

Conte will not be short of options when he decides to make a return to management, and a report last month claimed he is Man Utd’s leading target to replace Carrick at Old Trafford.

Carrick is under pressure after Man Utd only picked up five points from their first five Premier League games before the international break, while they also exited the Carabao Cup.

“I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more…”

Now, Conte has shed light on what he wants from his next managerial job, and it aligns with what he would be tasked with doing at Man Utd.

“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,” Conte told The Athletic.

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“I know full well that only one team can win every year, but I must carry in my heart — and instil in the hearts of the fans, my players and my directors — that spark, that hope that makes you say, ‘F**k, we can win’.

“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.

“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.”

Conte has also previously stated that he would not want to join a new club midway through a season, but he has now admitted that he would for the right project and “if it’s worth it”.

“In England today they’re using bazookas, while everywhere else they’re still using a pistol,” Conte added.

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“But we also need to be careful about how the money is spent. That’s why we were talking about making the right assessments, about having a vision, because you may well have the money, but you have to spend it wisely.

“There’s a direction, there’s a vision. Arteta sets the direction, just as [Jurgen] Klopp and [Pep] Guardiola did.

“In my view, the manager must be at the centre; he must be important. If you’re not happy, you sack him.

“The manager must provide the direction and the vision. He has his own footballing philosophy.

“You can’t have two different visions — the club on one side and the manager on the other. If these two visions align and you can find the right balance, then you progress.”

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