Antonio Conte reaching agreement to become Manchester United manager

Michael Carrick was handed a two-year contract in May after steering United to third place and back into the Champions League.

Five months on, that goodwill has almost entirely evaporated, with six points from six league games the club’s worst start since 1986.

A 5-2 win over Ipswich is the only league victory so far, alongside draws with Everton, Fulham and Tottenham, defeats at Hull and to Manchester City, and a Carabao Cup exit to Brighton after leading 2-0.

Leeds, Bournemouth and Chelsea are the next three league opponents for United.

INEOS are reportedly still backing him for now, but the rumour mill over possible replacements has not stopped turning.

Antonio Conte reaching agreement to become Manchester United manager

TuttoMercatoWeb reports that Antonio Conte is reaching an agreement with Manchester United.

Antonio Conte has been without a job since leaving Napoli at the end of last season.

It was reported last month that United had made initial contact to assess his availability, and the 57-year-old recently set out what he wants from his next club, saying, “I dream of a club that has lost sight of its history.”

He added, “There are many clubs that have somewhat lost sight of their history.

“I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more.”

“Clubs where there’s pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you’re not going there just to take part, but to compete.”

Few clubs fit that description better than United, whose wait for silverware has stretched into a third year despite a squad assembled at considerable expense.

Conte’s record is hard to argue with, with him winning six league titles at four clubs, three straight Serie A crowns with Juventus, then the Premier League with Chelsea, Serie A with Inter and another with Napoli.

His first English title came in the 2016/17 season with 30 wins, and he added an FA Cup the following season, plus two Italian Super Cups with Juventus.

That Chelsea spell ran from 2016 to 2018, and he later managed Tottenham between November 2021 and March 2023, an exit that followed a bruising public outburst at his own players.

Conte has a reputation for demanding a major say in recruitment and for friction with boards when he does not get it, something that sits awkwardly alongside United’s own admission that their summer window fell short.