Antonio Conte reaches firm decision on becoming Man Utd boss as Michael Carrick pressure builds – Exclusive

Antonio Conte has made a fresh move to become Manchester United manager, with intermediaries contacting the club to confirm he is ready to take charge at Old Trafford immediately as pressure mounts on Michael Carrick, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.

Conte, 57, has been out of work since leaving Napoli in the summer, having enjoyed two hugely successful years at the Diego Maradona Stadium. The former Chelsea boss won the Serie A title in his first season before guiding Napoli to a second-place finish last term.

Sources understand that Conte was keen on the Manchester United job during the summer, when people working on his behalf held discussions with the club’s director of football Jason Wilcox.

However, Carrick’s impressive interim spell had done enough to convince United to appoint him permanently, leaving the Italian to wait for another opportunity.

Despite missing out on the role, Conte has maintained his interest in the position, with his representatives making no secret of his desire to return to English football and take charge of another major Premier League club.

Now, TEAMtalk can confirm that intermediaries working with Conte have renewed contact with United’s hierarchy to reiterate his interest and make clear he is ready to take charge at Old Trafford with immediate effect.

Conte remains a huge admirer of the Premier League, having enjoyed considerable success during his previous spells in England. He spent two years at Chelsea, winning both the Premier League title and the FA Cup before leaving Stamford Bridge in 2018.

The Italian returned to English football in 2021 to take charge of Tottenham Hotspur, departing in March 2023. Although his spell in north London was regarded by some as a disappointment, Conte had recorded a win rate of more than 50 per cent when he left, with Spurs sitting fourth in the Premier League at the time of his departure.

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Man Utd still committed to Carrick – for now

His latest approach comes as questions continue to emerge over United’s start to the new season and with the club having lost four of the nine matches they have played so far and recording just two wins to date.

They travel to in-form Leeds United on Sunday, desperately needing a response to ease the pressure that is starting to build on Carrick.

The 45-year-old earned the permanent job after guiding the club to Champions League qualification following Ruben Amorim’s departure in January, but results have been disappointing in the opening weeks of the campaign.

United remain publicly committed to Carrick, and sources are keen to stress that there has been no indication that the club have decided to make an immediate change. That said, all at the club understand that a drastic improvement is required and the buck will likely fall on the manager if there is not an uptick soon.

And, as TEAMtalk has reported, players are increasingly concerned that the hierarchy could act if the poor run continues, which prompted Tuesday’s outburst from Lisandro Martinez, albeit with the Argentine since releasing a statement to explain his outburst.

Despite that, sources state that Conte believes he could turn things around at Old Trafford and is keen to put himself in position should the opportunity arise.

His camp’s renewed contact does not mean United have opened formal negotiations over appointing him, but it ensures the club are fully aware of his availability and willingness to take the job.

Reports on Wednesday also revealed that United’s board were keen admirers of a top Premier League boss and had already installed him as their preferred option to take charge if Carrick does not bring a rapid improvement.

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann have also been touted as potential options – with the former Newcastle boss ready to make a high-profile return after recently turning down a Champions League side.

For now, Carrick retains United’s public backing, but Conte’s renewed push and reported interest in others add another layer of intrigue to the situation as scrutiny grows around the manager’s position and the club’s direction.