Uncompromising Antonio Conte is the only manager who can whip miserable Man Utd into shape

It has been five months since Conte left his last role at Napoli by mutual agreement, meaning he's available now and wouldn't come with any compensation fee. The United hierarchy would be once again failing to do their jobs properly if they didn't at least sound Conte out about a potential move to Old Trafford.

Rarely is such a brilliant manager available at a time of crisis. This is a golden opportunity that may not come around again, because Conte will surely secure another high-profile post at some point in the near future. At the moment, he's still waiting for an offer that grabs him, as he felt compelled to clarify when reacting to links with United last week.

"My name has been linked with numerous clubs, but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage," Conte wrote on Instagram. "Following a wonderful and successful spell in charge of Napoli, I will take the time I need to consider how and when to return to management. It will be a carefully considered decision, one I will make when I believe the conditions are right.

"I have read reports of financial demands and requests for full control that I have supposedly already made to the clubs mentioned, as well as reservations about what has been described as my "strong personality". These reports are unfounded, as there is currently no concrete basis for such assessments.

"Should a concrete opportunity arise, that will be the time to hold discussions with the club concerned and jointly consider the terms of a potential agreement, with due regard for both parties’ needs and the qualities and approach that define my work as manager. Until then, any assumptions about my demands and my professional future remain speculation and cannot be treated as fact."

That statement could be construed as a cryptic 'come-and-get-me' plea. Conte knows his reputation as an uncompromising taskmaster precedes him, and it would only be natural that he doesn't want that to count against him when the elite vacancies open up.

However, United should be looking to hire him precisely for that reputation. Why not give him "full control", too? Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada have had the final say on all footballing decisions since INEOS' minority takeover, and all of them have led to the situation on the pitch worsening.

Conte knows exactly what he's doing and has the track record to prove it. He's the only manager in Serie A history to win the Scudetto with three different clubs, completing a three-peat at Juventus before also delivering titles for Inter and Napoli, while he guided a Chelsea to Premier League glory in his first season at the helm. To further illustrate his credentials as a transformational coach, Chelsea and Napoli had both finished 10th in their respective leagues before Conte took the reins.

Bari and Siena both achieved promotion to Serie A on Conte's watch, and he led Italy to the quarter-finals at Euro 2016. The only real black mark on Conte's record is his two-year spell at Tottenham, which ended in acrimonious fashion, though even then he still took a confidence-stricken Spurs team from ninth to fourth in his debut campaign, a feat made all the more remarkable given he only replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the November.

The task he'd be facing at United now is strikingly similar. If they want to salvage the season instead of writing it off, Conte is by far the best option.

United, and Conte, will be extremely wary about avoiding a repeat of his explosive Tottenham exit. His position became untenable after a shocking public rant against the players and Spurs' former owners, as he signed off by claiming they "can change the manager, but the situation cannot change".

As Conte has said himself, the conditions have to be right. There's a reason he hasn't lasted longer than two years in any club role since leaving Juventus in 2014: he's not easy to work with, and it's his way or the highway. The United board would have to accept that right from the off.

It would be worth it for what Conte brings in the dressing room; most importantly a zero tolerance policy on bluffers and disruptors. "I always talk about education and respect. I give this. But I demand this," he said in an interview with Thierry Henry during his Chelsea days. "And if someone hasn’t a good attitude in the training session or good behaviour in different circumstances, I prefer to kill him."

To avoid being "killed", the players must give everything. Conte's arrival would be the equivalent of a rocket up the backside of United's lazy, immature crop of current flops. Those who embrace his philosophy tend to thrive, and those who don't are cast aside. Amorim admirably attempted that weeding-out process, but the Portuguese could not command respect in the same way Conte can.

"It is not only in the match with Conte. It is all day, every training session. He is like a police sergeant," former Juventus and Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini said in 2018. "When you finish training, you are dead. Not tired - dead. You can do it only because you believe in what he does. You are 100 percent with him. He creates an atmosphere, everyone gives energy to each other. For sure he is one of the very best."

Former United winger Ashley Young had one of the best seasons of his entire career under Conte in 2020-21 at the ripe old age of 35, playing a key role in Inter's run to the Serie A crown. But he does not speak in the same glowing terms as Chiellini when recalling Conte's methods.

"He's crazy by the way, crazy," Young said in a recent appearance on the Overlap Daily. "He's a bit like [Atletico Madrid boss] Diego Simeone on the sidelines, like, you hear him non-stop. Training is intense, there's a lot of running.

"There was a lot that he'd done, the training sessions were a lot of 11 vs 11, at times a little bit boring. Meetings were long. When I say long, I'm talking if we lost a game, we could go in for the meeting and he'd stop literally everything. And you could be in there for three or four hours. It was like 'come on now, let's be serious'.

"I think that's one of the reasons why he doesn't last long at places because it's not just the players he tries to test mentally, but the board as well, and the owners. I think that people get annoyed with him and think 'it's time for you to go'. A lot of talk has been about Man United's running stats. If they're not going to run and Antonio Conte goes in there, it's going to be a disaster I think."

"Boring" often translates to consistent; just look at Arsenal. Their style of play under Mikel Arteta has been persistently criticised over the last two years, but everyone knows their roles and buys into the manager's vision, which is why they are on course to be back-to-back Premier League champions. United haven't had an effective daily routine to follow since Ferguson's departure.

If some players get annoyed, so be it, and it would only be a "disaster" for those who don't toe Conte's line. For too long, United have only performed to their maximum in short patches. The squad lacks depth, but there's enough quality there to be top-four challengers again; let's not forget it's largely the same team that won more points than any other Premier League side after Carrick's initial appointment in the second half of last season.

Young may not have been particularly fond of Conte, but he followed his instruction to the letter. The England international wouldn't have lasted five minutes if he hadn't. Conte can elicit that same basic level of fear to bring standards up high at United, and keep them there.

Conte is not considered the frontrunner for the United job if Carrick is eventually dismissed, with Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Unai Emery all on the list of candidates the club has explored.

Howe is said to be "fully open" to succeeding Carrick after stepping down from his Newcastle post in July. United would, however, have to pay Newcastle a multi-million pound compensation package to bring in Howe, who still had three years to run on his contract at St James' Park. Villa, meanwhile, would demand £20m to release Emery from his current deal.

Are either of them really worth the trouble? Howe ended Newcastle's 50-year wait for silverware by winning the Carabao Cup, and led the team to Champions League qualification twice, but they dropped to seventh and 12th in the Premier League, respectively, in subsequent seasons. That suggests Howe is ill equipped to lift United up from the doldrums.

Emery's experience level is superior. The Spaniard has worked wonders at Aston Villa, and also overachieved at Villarreal and Sevilla, winning a record five Europa League titles across his stints at those three clubs. At the very highest level, though, Emery has fallen short, barring a Ligue 1 title win at Paris Saint-Germain. He couldn't get the French giants beyond the Champions League round of 16, and only lasted 18 months at the helm of Arsenal, posting a dismal 49% win rate in the Premier League.

Nagelsmann would cost nothing, but that's because he was sacked after Germany's shocking round-of-32 exit at the 2026 World Cup. He was also only able to deliver one major trophy in a previous two-year spell at Bayern Munich and reportedly alienated several senior players with his overcomplicated tactics.

Conte's credentials hold up to scrutiny far better, certainly in the eyes of United legend Paul Scholes. "I think Conte’s the best one around. When I’m talking best in class and you talk them four, I think Conte’s miles ahead of all of them," Scholes said on the latest edition of The Good, The Bad & The Footballpodcast. "He’s volatile, I know he’s volatile and might be a bit of a madman, but when you talk about successful managers at top clubs he’s streets ahead.

"I don’t care if it’s short-term. I don’t care if he’s there 18 months and he gets us challenging for the league, that would be a success. The more and more I think about it, Conte needs to come in and start banging some heads together."

That may seem unrealistic to some, but If Conte stayed that long, he'd have four transfer windows to mould the squad in his image. He can put the foundations in place for a genuine revival. Trusting a "madman" like Conte is a calculated risk United have to take. It may not always be pretty, but the 57-year-old would have the courage of his convictions to affect significant change at a club that has lost its identity.