Punditry duo Gary Neville and Micah Richards have clashed on Spurs manager Antonio Conte with the latter of the pair admitting that Man United should have secured his services before the Lilywhites had the chance.
The Red Devils were thumped 4-1 by their local neighbours in the latest edition of the Manchester Derby - a defeat that spelt the second of this kind in the Premier League for Ralf Rangnick.
Rangnick was praised by the likes of Roy Keane and co in the studio for his openness after defeat but the long-term strategy of United was a topic of conversation for the four pundits with Neville and Richards going hell for leather at each other in this certain debate.
Before Rangnick was eventually taken out of his role from Lokomotiv Moscow to manage United on an interim basis before moving upstairs at the end of the season, Conte was available but in the sack race between Nuno Espirito Santo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Portuguese won as his Spurs side fell to a 3-0 home defeat to Man United early on in the season.
This prompted a ruthless decision from Daniel Levy and despite Solskjaer's untenable position at the time, Ed Woodward and co decided to give him more time.
A sentiment that backfired as thrashings against Liverpool and Watford were in store for the Norwegian before the club made the emotional decision to part ways.
But whilst United were making do with their club legend, this allowed Fabio Paratici and co to snap up a manager who recently questioned his own future in north London.
Efficiency that left Man United with little option but to go down the interim route - proceedings that were of high interest to both Richards and Neville.
The former Man City full-back questioned the Man United board in their lack of ruthlessness in not appointing serial winner Conte back at the time when Solskjaer's future was in huge doubt.
"They should’ve gone for Conte," Richards stated on Sky Sports after the Manchester Derby.
"Conte was available before he went to Spurs, he was the best available manager at the time, and just because he doesn’t fit the ‘Man United way’ he didn’t get in?
"The Man United way doesn’t exist anymore, you don’t win any trophies! Conte’s a winner, he’s come from Inter Milan, do United not want winners now? He wins! He wins!"
Statements to which prompted a feisty response from Neville who whilst giving his opinion, told his counterpart to calm down in what turned out to be a heated exchange between the good pals.
"United didn’t want Conte," Neville replied when given the opportunity. "Conte’s not a manager for Manchester United, he comes in for one or two years and leaves, United have been there with Jose Mourinho, they want to appoint Pochettino or Ten Hag on a long-term project but needed someone to get them until the end of the season.
"Man United need a longer term approach for a manager, they’re not going to appoint a short-term manager like they did with Jose, they went against the grain with that and won’t do it again. They want to appoint Ten Hag or Pochettino, a young, up and coming manager for the long-term.
"They can’t put all their eggs in one basket, I suspect they’re favouring Ten Hag for what they want moving forward, but they won’t appoint Rangnick, he was only ever coming in for five months, gathering information around the structure of the club, the people at the club and at the end of the season he’ll hand over his report and move into a consultancy role next season, with the club either taking his advice or not. I think a lot of things he’ll have to say about the players in that dressing room won’t be favourable.
"They’ve got a real risk with Pochettino, with Paris Saint-Germain could let him go if they get knocked out of the Champions League, but if they go and win it then it’s harder for United to go and get him because PSG don’t need the money, they’ll just hold onto him."
Whilst Conte was the centre of attention after this Super Sunday fixture came to an end, the Italian will be planning just how he approaches trying to respond from the Middlesbrough FA Cup embarrassment against Frank Lampard's rejuvenated Everton side.
