According to reports, Manchester United’s board felt that the “demands” from Antonio Conte would have been too much for their players to deal with.
The Italian took his first job in England back in 2016 as he was appointed by Chelsea. He won the Premier League and FA Cup with the Blues before he departed in 2018.
Conte returned to the Premier League in November as he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo at Tottenham Hotspur.
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Prior to this, the Italian was linked with a move to Manchester United. The Red Devils parted company with Ole Gunnar Solskajer earlier this season.
They opted to bring in Ralf Rangnick to replace him. The German is set to be their interim boss until the end of this season. He is then due to then take up a consultancy role for a further two years.
The Daily Mail have revealed why United’s board decided against approaching Conte. They recognise that he is a “great coach”, but his demands “may have proved unsuited to the squad at Old Trafford”.
The report adds that the club’s board have a “concern” that Man Utd “lack leaders”. They are said to be planning to address this issue during the summer.
A club source added: “If Conte tells a player to do six things then he wants to see them do all six immediately.
“He wants to be able to programme players to the minute details. We were not sure that was a great fit for us.”
Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers are named as the three main contenders to become United’s permanent manager.
Speaking in October, Gary Neville said he did not think Conte “is a fit for Manchester United”:
“They won’t bring a hitman in again. A hitman who comes in and does a job for two years,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
“Conte’s available but I wouldn’t bring him to Manchester United. I wouldn’t bring him here now, I wouldn’t.
“In my opinion, I don’t think Antonio Conte is a fit for Manchester United. I don’t think he’s a fit.
“I might be wrong, they might bring him here tomorrow and I’d get behind him.
“We’ve seen a coach with a specific style like Louis van Gaal didn’t work here. I’m not saying there isn’t a manager who can come to Manchester United and do well.”
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