Martin Keown names the perfect manager for Man Utd after Michael Carrick sack: ‘He wants to create change’
Martin Keown believes that Manchester United should hire Antonio Conte as their manager, should they decide to sack Michael Carrick.
Carrick’s days as Man Utd manager are numbered after the Red Devils suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.
The team are now just a point above the Premier League bottom three.
Man Utd chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are at Carrington on Monday morning to make a final decision on the future of Carrick as manager.
Arsenal legend Keown has given his take on the Man Utd managerial situation.
The pundit believes that should Man Utd co-owners INEOS sack Carrick, then they would be wise to appoint former Chelsea manager Conte as his replacement.
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Martin Keown urges Man Utd to appoint Antonio Conte
The Italian tactician is without a managerial role at the moment after parting ways with Napoli at the end of last season.
Conte is reportedly ready to take charge of Man Utd immediately and replace Carrick as the manager.
Keown said on talkSPORT (10:16am, October 26, 2026): “I don’t really know whether they did with him.
“Conte would not be a bad choice for me because I think he wants to create change.”
Conte is one of the best managers in the world and is also a proven winner.
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The 57-year-old has won Serie A thrice with Juventus, the Premier League once with Chelsea, and the Scudetto with Inter Milan and Napoli once each.
Conte is a disciplinarian who knows how to keep the dressing room in check.
However, former Man Utd coach Rene Meulensteen does not want INEOS to hire Conte.
Metro quotes Meulensteen as saying when asked about Conte to Man Utd: “I’ve seen that name being said and I would not be a supporter of that appointment at all.
“I think that would maybe get a very short uplift, but it would come crashing down really, really quickly knowing the way that Conte goes about his job. I wouldn’t be in favour of that.
“If you asked me any other names, I couldn’t tell you, because the problem is not the next manager.
“Yes, he needs to be a strong personality, a strong character with great, strong views about the way he wants to do things.
“But every other manager that has been there before has, reading between the lines, said the same thing.
“The problem is that the ownership has Manchester United in a headlock. That’s the problem and they can’t get out it.”
It should be noted that Conte released a statement last week saying that he is not in talks with any club.
Conte said on his Instagram page: “My name has been linked with numerous clubs, but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage.
“Following a wonderful and successful spell in charge of Napoli, I will take the time I need to consider how and when to return to management.
“It will be a carefully considered decision, one I will make when I believe the conditions are right.”
Conte added: “I have read reports of financial demands and requests for full control that I have supposedly already made to the clubs mentioned, as well as reservations about what has been described as my ‘strong personality’.
“These reports are unfounded, as there is currently no concrete basis for such assessments.
“Should a concrete opportunity arise, that will be the time to hold discussions with the club concerned and jointly consider the terms of a potential agreement, with due regard for both parties’ needs and the qualities and approach that define my work as a manager.
“Until then, any assumptions about my demands and my professional future remain speculation and cannot be treated as fact.”
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