Gallas warns Manchester United that Conte appointment would be the wrong call

William Gallas has urged Manchester United to think carefully before pursuing Antonio Conte, warning that the club’s struggles cannot be solved by a new manager alone as the Red Devils sit 17th in the Premier League table.

United are without a league win in seven games and are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of Sunday’s home fixture against Aston Villa. Reports in Italy have suggested Conte, who left Napoli in the summer, holds an interest in the Old Trafford job should the club decide to move on from Michael Carrick.

Gallas, however, believes the appointment would be misguided. Speaking to SeatPick, the former Chelsea and Arsenal defender argued that the modern dressing room dynamic makes Conte’s uncompromising approach a risky fit. “I don’t know if Antonio Conte can fix Manchester United because from what I understand now the players in that dressing room are completely different from the players 10, 15 or 20 years ago,” he said.

“If you bring in Antonio Conte, you know he has a big personality. You know he will ask his players to adapt to his system, but I don’t know if the players at Manchester United can do this. It’s a different generation. Now you have to adapt to the players at this club, not just the players adapting to you.”

Gallas acknowledged that Conte would need to meet the squad halfway, but stressed that even a successful managerial appointment would not address what he sees as the root cause of United’s decline — the quality of players brought to the club over recent years.

“Ultimately, the problem with United is the players that they’ve brought to the club because they aren’t at the level to play for Manchester United,” Gallas said. “Antonio Conte cannot change that. No manager can. You have to look higher up at the club first.”

His comments add to the scrutiny surrounding United’s hierarchy at a time when the club are under mounting pressure to arrest a slide that has left them in genuine danger of a relegation battle. Carrick, for his part, has laughed off suggestions that his position is under immediate threat, though the pressure on the interim manager continues to build with each winless week.