Former Manchester United Standout Admonishes Club For Missing Out On Antonio Conte

Former Manchester United full-back Paul Parker believes the club not signing Antonio Conte is a major mistake.

In his EuroSport column, the pundit claimed that bringing him to Old Trafford would be the true indicator of their willingness to become contenders across all remaining competitions.

“The Italian [Antonio Conte] has the best CV out there at the moment, and if you look at what he’s achieved at every club he's managed then you can see that [Tottenham Hotspurs] have found a winner,” Parker wrote.

He acknowledged the notoriety of Conte as an extremely-pushy coach, especially in training, but admitted that it is essential towards building a winning culture.

The 52-year-old Italian was among the big-name managers linked to taking over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s job at Manchester United after an embarrassing 5-0 loss to Liverpool at home.

However, the club’s management decided to hold on to the underperforming Norwegian and give him one last chance to prove himself.

To his credit, he has avoided being sacked after a dominant win over Tottenham this past weekend and an extremely close call against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

Cristiano Ronaldo once again came to Solskjaer's rescue after finding themselves down a goal, scoring off a wonderful back-tap from fellow Portuguese Bruno Fernandes to tie it up at the end of the first half.

The Champions League heroics for “CR7” do not end there as the Red Devils found themselves down another goal, only for Mason Greenwood to find the loose ball and tap it to the 36-year-old for a volley, pulling out a draw that in the dying moments.

For as magical as Ronaldo’s moments have been thus far in his second stint with the Red Devils, Parker noted that they cannot keep relying on him, especially when they face Manchester City on Saturday, November 6.

Solskjaer has a surprisingly decent track record against their eternal rivals, pulling off four wins and a draw to four losses in nine matchups, but they need outstanding performances across the board.

Manchester United fans know Ronaldo will play a huge part again and so will Fernandes, but it is the defense that needs to step up after it was confirmed that Raphael Varane will be out for an extended amount of time due to a hamstring injury.

Harry Maguire’s putrid performance against Atalanta may be due to him feeling the weight of his captaincy. but Solskjaer and the team need to help him get ready for Manchester City.

The first edition of this season’s Manchester derby has massive implications on the standings as a win for the Red Devils will propel them back into the top four, while a win for the third-place Citizens places them closer to the top of the table.