Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has written a scathing column about the various problems at Manchester United right now.
The former Reds defender has made it clear just how badly the Red Devils have handled things recently, using Tottenham as an example when they appointed Antonio Conte as manager.
Writing in his column in the Telegraph, Carragher admits he couldn’t believe that some figures at Man Utd were unsure about Conte, slamming the club for chasing some kind of new version of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Spurs were smart in moving slightly earlier for the outstanding Antonio Conte,” Carragher said. “For all the criticism Daniel Levy gets, he saw which way the wind was blowing at Old Trafford quicker than anyone in power at Manchester United. We will never know if Conte could have been tempted to United instead, had they shown any interest.
“Some say Conte was not the right fit for United. Speak to those at the highest level of football and there is general bewilderment at that. What exactly do United want? Are they so naive as to believe there is another Sir Alex Ferguson out there, who will run the club in his image for the next 25 years? Wake up! The football world has changed. Those managers do not exist anymore.
“Even at the biggest, most successful clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, the elite coaches come and go every three or four years. Perhaps Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will have lasted eight or nine years at Manchester City and Liverpool by the end of their reigns – fans of both clubs will hope they stay even longer – but such longevity is now the exception, not the rule.
“United have missed out on so many brilliant coaches who were available over the last three years, including Conte, Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel; managers who could have delivered title bids and successful Champions League campaigns here and now, given the talent in the squad and the vast sums spent.
“Instead, the club has hidden behind the notion of a gradual rebuilding, when they have spent £312 million on new players under Solskjaer – the highest in the Premier League – and have the highest wage bill. Manchester City and Chelsea demand instant returns for that kind of investment. The United squad should have been doing so much better than it is, not just this season but in the last couple of years.”
Carragher is surely right that the days of a manager like Ferguson coming in and spending decades at one club are over, and it’s important that United move on from that idea.
Conte might not have been the typical idea of what a MUFC manager looks like, but the Italian tactician is a serial winner and should end up being a fine appointment for Spurs.
For a club like Tottenham to get in ahead of United is pretty damning on the club being so poorly run by Ed Woodward and co.