Football: Young rejects Conte at United, "it would be a disaster"

According to former England international Ashley Young, Antonio Conte's arrival as Manchester United manager would be a "disaster". The former Aston Villa and Manchester United defender, who worked with the Italian coach at Inter in the 2020/21 season, winning the scudetto together, warns the Old Trafford club against the possibility of entrusting him with the team, which is in difficulty under the guidance of Michael Carrick.

The name of Conte, 57 years old, is among those circulating for a possible succession, while the future of the current coach remains under observation. The Italian coach, fresh from his experience at Napoli, recently declared to "The Athletic" magazine his desire to bring a great club that has lost its winning identity back to the top.

"There has been a lot of talk about the statistics on how much Manchester United runs. If they don't run and Conte arrives, I think it will be a disaster", Young's comment on the 'Overlap Daily' programme.

According to the former England international, the players may not like the manager's intense methods, characterized by demanding training sessions and very long meetings. "The sessions were often eleven against eleven and, after a defeat, we could stay in meetings for three or four hours," said Young, underlining however how the work with Conte contributed to prolonging his career. For the Apulian coach, who will already be familiar with the Premier League having first coached Chelsea and then Tottenham, it would be a welcome return to England. United have not won the league since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson retired after more than two decades.