Gary Neville feels he's been vindicated in his long-standing that view that Manchester United shouldn't have appointed Antonio Conte, who was always going to "stink the place out."
Despite the Italian's keenness on the job before Tottenham snapped up his services in November 2021, the Red Devils hierarchy ultimately agreed with Neville and opted against bringing him in. Before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked that same month, fans and pundits had urged United to make a move for Conte, who's now parted ways with Spurs after 16 turbulent months in North London.
Neville continually railed against those suggestions, insisting time and again that Conte wasn't the right fit for his beloved Red Devils which often brought a wave of backlash onto him after United chose to appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim manager. Now that Spurs and the ex- Chelsea boss have gone their separate ways, Neville appears to have been proven right.
"Conte was always going to do very well at Spurs, achieve what they wanted, and then stink the place out at the end," the former United captain told Sky Sports ahead of Tottenham's 1-1 draw away to Everton on Monday. "That's why I didn't want him at United because he has a track record of doing it."
Neville added: "The dressing room got tired of the Conte way, Conte got tired of the players, it was a mess at the end that is an inevitable ending. There is no surprise that he has gone in this manner, he will go to next interview and say he done a great job, they [Tottenham] are now picking up the pieces with his number two [Cristian Stellini]."
Stellini has been given until the end of this season to guide Spurs into the Champions League places, a feat which Conte managed last term. They moved up to fourth and above United with their point at Everton but it's hard to argue that the Red Devils, who boast two games in hand, were wrong to wait until the summer of 2022 and make Erik ten Hag Solskjaer's permanent successor.
Have your say! Who should Tottenham appoint as their next manager? Let us know your pick in the comments section.
Having already won a trophy, something which Tottenham haven't done since 2007, United are on the right track under the Dutchman after a shaky start. When the process of appointing Ten Hag was still ongoing, Neville remained steadfast that his old club hadn't missed a trick with Conte.
"There will be people who say 'Antonio Conte has just gone to Tottenham'. He was never coming to Manchester United," the ex-Red Devils right-back claimed. "Manchester United's board were never going to appoint Antonio Conte whether you agree with that or not.
"I don't think Antonio Conte would have been a fit for Manchester United and I don't think there is an absolutely perfect fit available at this time, so they have to bring someone in temporarily until someone is available who can take forward the work that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done."
