Rene Meulensteen says he would ‘not be a supporter’ of Manchester United appointing Antonio Conte, predicting the hotheaded Italian would bring the club ‘crashing down really quickly’.
Conte is among the favourites to take over the reins at Old Trafford should Michael Carrick lose his job as head coach on the back of a miserable eight-match winless streak for the Red Devils.
Carrick’s job is understood to be in serious doubt on the back of Sunday’s humbling defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford, where goals from Rayan, James Tavernier and Evanilson ensured the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season continued on.
According to The Telegraph, a final decision over Carrick’s future has not yet been made – but United’s hierarchy will hold crisis talks over the next 24 hours to discuss possible next steps.
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It comes just five months on from Carrick being handed the role on a full-time basis after steering United to a third-placed finish and Champions League qualification last season.
‘Since Sir Alex Ferguson left, systematically, the whole club has been dismantled of everything that it stood for,’ Meulensteen – who served as a coach under Ferguson – told talkSPORT the morning after United’s latest setback.
‘The stability and continuity that Sir Alex Ferguson created with a great professional and winning culture has been replaced by incompetence and inconsistency.
‘That’s been shown through all the managers they’ve had and I think Michael Carrick is number eight.
‘You look at the recruitment, the players they’ve brought in over the years… for us, it was a very straightforward discussion: we looked at being or becoming.
‘What I mean by that is we could bring players in that we knew would perform in the Premier League, i.e. Robin van Persie. “Becoming” was more younger players, 23 years and younger, who were a little bit “being” but still had a lot to come to improve as players.
‘But the key, underlining thing was whether they were going to make a difference for us. If that wasn’t the case then they weren’t good enough, simple as that.
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‘I think that’s gone out the window because it’s been replaced by mediocrity.’
Meulensteen has been left scratching his head over the speed with which United’s squad have gone from ‘playing with smiles on their faces’ to producing performances like that against Bournemouth at the weekend.
‘Four or five months ago when Michael Carrick started, seven games, six wins and one draw, including Manchester City and Arsenal,’ the Dutchman added.
‘They were playing with energy, intensity, players in the right spots, they played with a smile on their face… where has that gone? How has that derailed so quickly in such a short period of time? I can’t put my finger on it.’
Eddie Howe is believed to be the frontrunner to replace Carrick in the hot seat following his departure at Newcastle in the summer.
The 48-year-old is reportedly ‘open’ to the idea of taking over at the Theatre of Dreams as he actively looks for a route back into Premier League management.
Julian Nagelsmann, Fabian Hurzeler and Conte are just some of the other high-profile names being linked with the position in the north west.
On the prospect of ex-Chelsea and Tottenham manager Conte taking charge, Meulensteen replied: ‘I’ve seen that name being said and I would not be a supporter of that appointment at all.
‘I think that would maybe get a very short uplift but it would come crashing down really, really quickly knowing the way that Conte goes about his job.
‘I wouldn’t be in favour of that.
‘If you asked me any other names, I couldn’t tell you, because the problem is not the next manager.
‘Yes, he needs to be a strong personality, a strong character with great, strong views about the way he wants to do things. But every other manager that has been there before has, reading between the lines, said the same thing.
‘The problem is that the ownership has Manchester United in a headlock. That’s the problem and they can’t get out it.’
As speculation mounted linking him with United last week, Conte released a statement stressing that he would only be prepared to join a club if the ‘conditions are right’.
The 57-year-old has been out of job since reaching an agreement to terminate his contract at Napoli in May.
‘Following recent media reports in Italy and abroad, I feel it is appropriate to clarify my position,’ Conte said in a statement last Friday.
‘My name has been linked with numerous clubs, but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage. 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 l 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 a manager.
‘Until then, any assumptions about my demands and my professional future remain speculation and cannot be treated as fact.’
United return to Premier League action against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
Just three days later, the Red Devils switch their focus back to Champions League matters with a group-stage clash at home to Roma.
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