Ashley Young warns Man United that Conte appointment would 'be a disaster'

Ashley Young has urged Manchester United to steer clear of Antonio Conte, telling The Overlap that appointing the Italian would “be a disaster” — a verdict shaped by his own experience playing under him at Inter Milan.

Conte has emerged as a candidate to replace Michael Carrick, whose position has come under scrutiny after United’s winless run stretched to six matches. Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United left the club in the bottom half of the Premier League, six points adrift of the Champions League places. Reports have suggested intermediaries representing Conte contacted United to signal his interest in the role.

Young, who made 59 appearances under Conte at Inter and was part of the squad that won the Serie A title in 2020-21, painted a vivid picture of the manager’s methods. “He’s crazy, by the way. Like he is crazy,” Young said. “He’s a bit like Diego Simeone on the sidelines. You hear him non-stop.”

The former England international was particularly pointed about the length of Conte’s post-match debriefs. “Meetings were long. When I say long, I’m talking, if we lost the game, we could go in and do the meeting after the game and it stops literally everything and you could be there for three, four hours,” he said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why he doesn’t last long at places — because not just the players, he tries to test mentally, but the board as well and the owners.”

Young also tied his concern directly to United’s current struggles. “There has been a lot of talk about Man United’s running stats. If they’re not going to run and Antonio Conte goes in there, it’s going to be a disaster.”

Carrick took over as caretaker and averaged 2.25 points per game across 16 matches, winning 11 and losing just twice. But form has deteriorated sharply despite summer signings Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. Lisandro Martinez’s public comments following the defeat to Atletico Madrid hinted at growing unease within the squad, adding further pressure on the manager heading into a critical run of fixtures.