Why Man Utd must hire 39-year-old manager over Antonio Conte

Michael Carrick is walking an extremely thin tightrope at the moment, and there is seemingly no end in sight. Manchester United are sinking again and a change is needed.

Some might suggest that time is required, and based upon last season, you may well agree. Between the 20th match week and the final game of the season, no team was better in the Premier League than the Red Devils.

The turnaround engineered by Carrick after the dismal Ruben Amorim era is to be admired. Yet, it has all unravelled much in the same way it did when they hired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

So, does anyone fancy Antonio Conte?

The pros and cons of hiring Antonio Conte

Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that while, as of yet, there is nothing “concrete” between Man United and Conte, the Italian would be open to taking on the job.

Now, is this good news for Jason Wilcox and Co? Perhaps.

Conte is a serial winner; he is widely regarded as one of the best managers of the modern era. He won the Premier League with Chelsea back in 2016/17 and he’s a five-time Serie A winner, claiming victory on three occasions with Juventus. The 57-year-old has also won it with both Juventus and Napoli.

He’s managed some of the biggest egos and personalities in the game and he’s someone who isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers. He’s cut from a similar cloth as Sir Alex Ferguson in that regard. He will always say what’s on his mind.

But, that can also be a negative. Conte would no doubt improve the standards at United and he would improve the football but there is an almighty amount of baggage attached to the Italian.

He’s a fiery character, a controversial one. At Tottenham, he was sacked after openly criticising the board during an explosive post-game press conference.

At Napoli, he cited a poisonous atmosphere around the club as one of the reasons for his departure, despite winning Serie A and the Italian Super Cup. Sadly for him, it feels like that type of environment can follow him around, particularly when the going gets tough.

So, United should do their due diligence on other coaches as well.

Man United’s ideal Conte alternative

The managerial market is a rather healthy place right now so if Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his minions are to give Carrick the boot, they have plenty of options.

Conte isn’t the only world-class manager out of work right now. Pep Guardiola awaits his next job, as does Didier Deschamps. Arne Slot is free and they could always consider Eddie Howe who is reportedly interested in the gig after leaving Newcastle over the summer.

However, the standout candidate is surely Julian Nagelsmann. According to talkSPORT, Christopher Vivell is personally pushing his name in internal meetings behind the scenes as United weigh up their options. The club’s director of recruitment believes that he is the best man for the job should they get rid of Carrick.

Just 39, he is widely regarded as the “best young coach in Europe”. That’s the view of reporter Josh Bunting, who has been left impressed with the work the German has carried out in his fleeting managerial career to date.

While it all ended in tears for Nagelsmann during his job with Germany as they crashed out of the World Cup at the hands of Paraguay, at both Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich, he established himself as one of the finest minds in football.

He doesn’t boast the same experience as Conte, nor has he won as many titles but lest we forget, this is someone who lifted the Bundesliga trophy with Bayern at 34. To put that into context, no coach has ever won Germany’s top-flight at a younger age. For further context, Jose Mourinho was 42 when he won the first of his Premier League titles.

So, perhaps it is that wide-eyed freshness that United must look to pursue instead of the fiery Conte? Fans may well worry about whether this could be a Ruben Amorim repeat.

Another young coach, that whole saga didn’t exactly go according to plan but he had only ever managed in the Portuguese top flight. Despite his age, Nagelsmann is more experienced on the elite stage.

He’s got an exceptional mind, one that has been influenced by some of the greatest to ever do it. The German has previously cited the likes of Guardiola, Ralf Rangnick, and Jurgen Klopp as his main inspirations, while he also worked as an opposition scout during Thomas Tuchel’s tenure as coach of the Augsburg reserves.

Nicknamed a “Mini-Mourinho” by goalkeeper Tim Wiese for his success at a young age, his play style is actually inspired more by Klopp and Co. He likes an energetic high press while he also enjoys a possession-oriented style of football.

That will no doubt be music to the ears of many in this United team, not least the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, but everyone in the forward line.

If Wilcox and Vivell are to make a change, then Nagelsmann must be the man they look at.