The first anniversary falls next week. Not, as Antonio Conte seemed to hope then, of his appointment of Manchester United manager, but of the well-sourced reports that he wanted to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Technically, of course, Solskjaer still had a job, though the 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool weakened his hold on it. Even Ed Woodward was starting to realise that perhaps the Norwegian was not the answer after all. A putative successor did not waste any time advertising his interest.
Conte looked the antidote and the antithesis to Solskjaer. The most obvious criticism of the legendary ex-player, albeit one United took too long to concur with, was that he was not a world-class manager. Conte was; he was an available answer to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. United ignored the public entreaties. They had their doubts about his suitability for them.
