Scholes names Conte miles ahead of rivals for Man Utd job despite 'massive warning'

Paul Scholes has declared Antonio Conte the clear frontrunner to become Manchester United’s next manager, rating the Italian “miles ahead” of the other candidates under consideration — but not without issuing a stark caveat about what his appointment would entail.

Michael Carrick survived crisis talks with the United hierarchy at Carrington on Monday and is continuing to prepare for the Premier League trip to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. His position, however, remains far from secure, with the club having identified Conte, Julian Nagelsmann and Eddie Howe as potential replacements. All three are currently without a club.

Reports suggest internal disagreement over the preferred candidate. Director of football Jason Wilcox is said to favour Howe, while director of recruitment Christopher Vivell leans towards Nagelsmann. Conte, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss, is understood to be interested but would demand his own backroom staff and full control over transfers.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football, Scholes was unequivocal: “You’d have to pick a manager who you think will get us back to being a competitive team for the Premier League. Out of them three, Antonio Conte’s the man, but he comes with a big f***ing massive warning. He’s made noises that he wants to come and I’m pretty sure the club would have spoke to all three of them. I can’t understand why he’d want this job because I don’t think the team’s good enough for him, personally.”

Scholes also floated Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as a candidate worth serious consideration, pointing to his Europa League triumph with Villa as evidence of his ability to overachieve with limited resources. “Is the answer staring us right in the face in Unai Emery?” Scholes said. “He’s won the Europa League with Aston Villa, do you know what an achievement that is? He gets a new team every single year because they have to sell their best players and he keeps producing.”

Despite his admiration for Emery, Scholes ultimately returned to Conte as his first choice. “I think Conte’s the best one around. When I’m talking best in class and you talk them four, I think Antonio Conte’s miles ahead of all of them. You think Juventus, he went to Napoli and goes and wins the league with them.”

Not everyone shares that view. Former United winger Ashley Young, who worked under Conte at Inter Milan, offered a more cautious assessment on The Overlap, describing the Italian as “crazy” — a reminder that the appointment, should it happen, would represent a significant cultural shift at Old Trafford.

United currently sit 16th in the Premier League, and while the club also holds admiration for Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, sources suggest there is little realistic prospect of luring either him or Emery away from their current roles.