"Would have been perfect" - Jonathan Woodgate slams Manchester United for ignoring Antonio Conte
Jonathan Woodgate has slammed Manchester United for not moving for Antonio Conte as he thinks the Italian manager would have been the perfect man to take up the job at Old Trafford.
Manchester United haven't enjoyed their best of seasons and a poor run of performances saw the club let go of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer in November. There were rumors connecting Conte to take over the job from the Norwegian.
However, the former Juventus boss chose Tottenham Hotspur instead, a few weeks before Solksjaer was removed by United.
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte could have managed Manchester United ‘for five years’ and ‘livened up’ Old Trafford but they ‘missed the boat’, say Danny Murphy and Simon Jordan footballng.com/tottenham-boss…
While Ralf Rangnick has brought about a change in terms of results as the interim manager at Old Trafford, the performances haven't been good enough and Woodgate feels they missed a trick by not going for Conte.
Speaking to Genting Casino, the former Real Madrid defender said he couldn't understand why United didn't go for the Italian when he was available as he would have been the 'perfect option' for the club.
"I was surprised by that as well, because Man Utd want to win trophies, and they’ve had Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, Solskjaer, why couldn’t you get Antonio Conte when he’s available?"
"He’s an outstanding manager. I don’t buy into people saying he’s not a Man Utd manager, what is?"
"You had Alex Ferguson, the man who’s brought the most success, the others who followed him haven’t been able to get close to winning the Premier League. I think Antonio Conte would have been perfect for Man Utd," said Woodgate.
Antonio Conte has the opportunity to prove Manchester United made the wrong choice this weekend
Tottenham boss Conte will have the opportunity to prove Manchester United made a mistake by not appointing him this weekend as he takes his team to Old Trafford.
Spurs currently sit seventh on the table, two points behind United. However, the Red Devils have played two more games than Conte's side.
The clash is thought to be a pivotal one for both sides as they're looking to keep their top-four hopes alive.
Antonio Conte says Manchester United's squad should be challenging for league title
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Rangnick's side was dealt a blow last week to their Champions League qualification hopes as they were humbled by Manchester City in the derby.
Tottenham, on the other hand, is heading into the clash with some momentum on their side after thrashing Everton 5-0 at home.
Conte will be boosted by the fact that star striker Harry Kane has hit top form at the right moment and could cause all sorts of problems to the Manchester United defence.