Patrice Evra admits his heart is “hurt” by Antonio Conte’s impressive impact at Spurs - instead of Manchester United.
The five-time Premier League winner, who also lifted three League Cups and the Champions League under Sir Alex Ferguson, played under Conte at Juventus.
He believes the Italian multiple title winner is on course to finally turn Spurs into a Premier League superpower.
“It hurts my heart,” he said. “Because I think Conte, Klopp, Guardiola - all those managers are the best in the world right now and we could have had him at Manchester United.
“But some people at the club, they said: ‘It’s not our style, it’s not what we’re looking for.'
"So let’s see, now we have Erik ten Hag. Let’s see what he’s going to do. He has my support. But then, even if you brought a chef in, as the manager of Man United, he’d have my full support.”
Conte was snubbed by United last November when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked.
Club chiefs insisted he was not a good fit and opted instead for interim boss Ralf Rangnick. While United missed out on the top four with a superior squad,
Conte galvanised a shambolic Spurs side into an outfit consistent enough to clinch a place in the Champions League.
The north Londoners have been so impressed that they have made an extra £150million available for the man who also led Chelsea and Inter Milan to title success, wiping out big points deficits.
Conte has set about ripping up the current Spurs side, landing £25million midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton and wing-back Ivan Perisic and keeper Fraser Forster, who have joined on free transfers from Inter Milan and Southampton respectively.
Conte’s aim is to launch a shock title challenge next season and Evra - whose love for United is well documented in his book, I Love The Game, added: “It’s is a massive disappointment because he could have done something at Man Utd.
"And you can see with Tottenham, he helped them to qualify for the Champions League spot.
“They have the same players, so that's why this manager is a genius. When I arrived at Juventus, every player told me: ‘Patrice, this guy is a genius.
“He’s addicted, he’s so passionate about football. So you’re going to run really hard. He's going to make you sweat. But if you look at the Tottenham fans, they are so happy because when they see the players now, win or they lose, they give everything. That’s the mentality of Antonio Conte.
“That’s why I say it hurts. Not because it’s Tottenham - I love every team - but it’s just because Conte could have done something."
