Conte "waited until last minute" for Man Utd offer before taking Tottenham job

Antonio Conte reportedly "waited until the last minute" for an offer to become Manchester United manager before taking the Tottenham Hotspur job.

That is according to Italian journalist Roberto Gotta, who has claimed that Conte had waited to see if United would sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and approach him as a potential replacement.

Conte had been strongly linked with replacing the Norwegian at Old Trafford following United's inconsistent start to the new season.

However, Solskjaer remains in charge of the Red Devils and Conte instead took over as Spurs' new manager on Tuesday following the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo.

Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, Gotta said: “I understand that there was a wait until the last moment; Manchester United have a better squad and more decisive players.

“However, Manchester United have never publicly lacked confidence in Solskjaer. Perhaps even to reassure him…

“Conte in Manchester should have won immediately, while in Tottenham, he should have prepared the team for next season.

“I think he did the right thing, or else he risked not doing half of it.”

Having been appointed Spurs boss on Tuesday, Conte took charge of his first match on Thursday night at home to Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League.

Where will Tottenham Hotspur finish under Antonio Conte this season? Let us know in the comments section below.

Spurs ran out 3-2 winners in an exciting match that saw the visitors reduced to nine men, while Cristian Romero was sent off for the hosts.

Following the match, Conte said: "It was a crazy game. Usually I don't like this type of game – a crazy game means anything can happen. But at the same time I think we should win and we won.

"We were winning 3-0 then conceded two goals we can avoid. After a red card, we were in trouble. To win while suffering is good for this team, these players.

"They needed to improve their confidence. They needed to work a lot. The problem is we have to find the time to work. We have two days until the next game, then it's the international break.

"For sure we have to improve. It's not easy because in two days we prepare for this [Everton] game… now we have only one day. Tomorrow it's impossible to work with the players who played tonight.

"They used a lot of energy. Tomorrow they have to rest and we'll work with the players who didn't play.

"We need to have a bit of patience because we need to work on many aspects – tactically and physically. I'm not afraid about the work. I know only through the work you can reach important targets."

Conte will take charge of his first league match in charge of Spurs on Sunday when they take on Everton at Goodison Park.

Source: Read Full Article