‘Whether you agree with that or not’: Gary Neville makes claim about Tottenham’s Antonio Conte

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Gary Neville refuses to believe that Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte would have ever seriously been in contention for the Manchester United job.

United were hammered 4-1 away at Watford on Saturday afternoon in a chastening afternoon at Vicarage Road.

The Red Devils have responded by parting ways with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after almost three years in the job.

Michael Carrick now finds himself in interim charge after Solskjaer’s departure, with a full-time appointment to come down the line.

Many have suggested that United have simply left this decision too late – especially with Antonio Conte no longer on the market.

Conte took the Tottenham job earlier this month, just days after Solskjaer had saved his own job with a win over Spurs.

Conte’s track record means he is a world-class manager, and that’s what United want – but Gary Neville isn’t having it.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville has suggested that Conte would never have been wanted at United – no matter whether people agree or disagree.

Neville simply feels that Conte wouldn’t have been a good fit for United, so they were better off keeping Solskjaer rather than going for the Italian.

“If there was a world-class manager sat on the shelf ready to go, Ole would have been gone before now. I think, one, the fact that they believed in him and, two, tried to let it go. But thirdly, the fact that they have not had anyone to appoint sat there in the wings waiting,” said Neville.

”There will be people who say ‘Antonio Conte has just gone to Tottenham’. He was never coming to Manchester United. Manchester United’s board were never going to appoint Antonio Conte whether you agree with that or not.”

“I don’t think Antonio Conte would have been a fit for Manchester United and I don’t think there is an absolutely perfect fit available at this time so they have to bring someone in temporarily until someone is available who can take forward the work that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done,” he added.