26th October, 2021
Reports in Italian and British papers said Manchester United have made their first approach to Antonio Conte to replace under fire Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The feedback from the Italian coach has been positive, the reports said: Conte is willing to take over the reins at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils search for a new coach followed their humiliating 5-0 loss to rivals Liverpool, at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer is still expected to be in charge for the next three games – against Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City.
But the looming international break brings with it an opportune moment to potentially replace the manager if results do not improve, reports metro.co.uk.
United have drawn up a shortlist of four names as they consider axing Solskjaer, with Brendan Rodgers, Zinedine Zidane and Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag all on their list.
But it is former Chelsea and Inter boss Conte who is their number one target and Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio claims intermediaries from United have already reached out to the Italian.
Although the 52-year-old was believed to have a few reservations about potentially taking over at Old Trafford, he has now made it clear to United he wants the job and is ready to replace Solskjaer.
Conte is normally not keen on taking over a team during a campaign, rejecting mid-season advances in the past, but he believes he can do well with United’s current team immediately and is eager to turn their fortunes around.