Manchester United have been linked with the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss who is currently out of work
Antonio Conte during the Serie A match between Lecce and Napoli.
Antonio Conte is one of the names linked with Manchester United(Image: Ivan Romano/Getty Images)
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Manchester United have been told that appointing Antonio Conte would be the wrong decision for the club, as the players would be unable to adapt to his demands. The Italian is one of the managers to be linked with United amid pressure on Michael Carrick.
The team find themselves in 17th place in the Premier League table, and only out of the bottom three on goal difference. They will look to end a run of seven league games without a win when they host Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Latest reports suggest that United have first refusal on former Spurs and Chelsea boss Conte, who is out of work after leaving Napoli in the summer. Reports in Italy suggest that the Italian is keen on the United job should the club opt to make a change.
However, former Premier League defender William Gallas has sent a warning to United about a potential appointment of Conte. He instead thinks eyes should be on making changes elsewhere at the club.
Speaking to SeatPick, he said: “I don’t know if Antonio Conte can fix Manchester United because from what I understand now the players in that dressing room are completely different from the players 10, 15 or 20 years ago.
“If you bring in Antonio Conte, you know he has a big personality. You know he will ask his players to adapt to his system, but I don't know if the players at Manchester United can do this.
"It's a different generation. Now you have to adapt to the players at this club, not just the players adapting to you. It has to be a compromise. Before, it used to be that the players had to adapt to the manager. Nobody said anything. They had great results. Now life has changed.
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“A manager like Conte would have to understand that ‘OK I have to adapt to this new generation, and if I do that, at the same time, I will need them to adapt to what I want from them,’ and that’s why you have to be sure about what you are going into. Manchester United also have to be sure about the manager they are bringing in because the message has to make sense and be understood by the players in the dressing room. Otherwise it will be the same problem again and again.
“Ultimately, the problem with United is the players that they’ve brought to the club because they aren’t at the level to play for Manchester United. With all the respect I have for other clubs, Manchester United are not Coventry City. They are not Crystal Palace. We are talking about Manchester United.
“They should only be signing the best players to play for the club but time and time again they have made big mistakes. Antonio Conte cannot change that. No manager can. You have to look higher up at the club first.”
Pressure on Carrick was eased slightly, thanks to the midweek comeback win over AS Roma in the Champions League. United came from 2-0 down to record a 3-2 win.
Michael Carrick of Manchester United speaks during an interview at Carrington Training Ground.
Michael Carrick is under pressure at Manchester United(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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The victory has drawn comparisons to the win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round in January 1990, which saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job. But Carrick laughed off suggestions that it could be history repeating itself.
"It's up to us to take it forward," he said. "As a one-off night, it was a fantastic night. I thought we played really, really well and deserved the game. It was nice to end like that. It was nice for the supporters to end like that and to have that feeling.
"Nothing's done yet. Nothing's achieved yet, and it's one moment in time that we need to use to move forward. But we need more of it, for sure."
He is, however, not writing off the possibility of emulating the success that Ferguson had at Old Trafford following that win. "It's not impossible," he added. "Anything's possible.
“You've got to build, you've got to be realistic. You've got to put things in perspective as well. The recent history that we've had and what we're trying to get to, it's not going to happen overnight.
"Success does take time, and we don't like having to spend time, but it does take a period of time to build. There are no shortcuts to it. In the end, that's where you get to, but it's definitely possible."