Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra admits he is “still hurt” about the fact the club did not move for Antonio Conte.
The Italian had been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford while out of work after his exit from Inter Milan amid pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Still, while Conte is one of the most successful managers currently working in the game, United legend Gary Neville was vocal in his belief the 52-year-old was not the right fit for the club.
Ultimately, it was Tottenham who moved for the former Chelsea boss, taking the decision to sack Nuno Espirito Santo after Solskjaer’s United beat them 3-0 in October. Meanwhile, United stuck with the Norwegian before moving for Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis after a heavy defeat away at Watford only weeks later.
Conte has since overseen a quick-fire rebuild in north London, leading the team into the Champions League at the expense of bitter rivals Arsenal and demanding assurances in regard to transfer policy in order to stay.
Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma have all arrived as Spurs look to build ahead of Conte’s first full season in charge and Evra has expressed regret at United failing to make a move.
“It hurts my heart,” he told The Daily Mirror.
“Because I think Conte, Klopp, Guardiola – all those managers are the best in the world right now and we could have had him at Manchester United.
“But some people at the club, they said: ‘It’s not our style, it’s not what we’re looking for.
“So let’s see, now we have Erik ten Hag. Let’s see what he’s going to do. He has my support. But then, even if you brought a chef in, as the manager of Man United, he’d have my full support.”
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