Cristiano Ronaldo Rejected Manchester United’s Attempts To Sign Antonio Conte

Cristiano Ronaldo Rejected Manchester United’s Attempts To Sign Antonio Conte

Martin Moses
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:03 PM
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  • Reports have emerged that Cristiano Ronaldo rejected efforts by Manchester United to sign Antonio Conte as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's replacement
  • Conte was at that time jobless and Tottenham Hotspur ended up signing him where he led them to a top-four finish
  • Erik Ten Hag was finally appointed as the permanent Solskjaer replacement after a failed interim stint with Ralf Rangnick

New details have now emerged that Cristiano Ronaldo refused calls by Manchester United bosses to approach Antonio Conte. United wanted the experienced Italian coach to take over from the beleaguered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils' hierarchy is understood to have approached senior players at United to seek their opinion. Ronaldo is understood to have been against the idea of hiring Conte.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Antonio Conte, Erik Ten Hag.
Antonio Conte embraces Cristiano Ronaldo after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Photo by Michael Regan.
Source: Getty Images

Solskjaer was at that time overseeing a poor run of results with United. The final straw came at the hands of a 4-1 humbling defeat to relegation candidates Watford FC.

Conte was without the club after leaving Inter Milan. United was looking at bringing either him or Paris Saint Germain's Mauricio Pochettino as replacements.

Manchester United Evening News, as quoted by the Daily Express, reports that Ronaldo didn't like the idea of having the abrasive manager in charge. Spurs ended up signing Conte to replace Nuno Espirito Santo. Conte guided the London club back to Champions League football.

The Red Devils on the other hand brought in a stop-gap replacement in Ralf Rangnick. Rangnick failed to inspire a turnaround of fortunes for the club. United ended up finishing the season with its lowest-ever tally.

Erik Ten Hag has since been appointed as the new manager. The former Ajax head coach will take charge from next season. He has been tasked with returning the club back to its glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United hire experienced coaches to assist Ten Hag

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Manchester United had gone for experience in their appointments for assistant coaches at the Old Trafford club for next season.

The Red Devils had their worst season as they finished with their lowest points tally in the Premier League this campaign which led to the appointment of Dutch manager, Erik Ten Hag.

According to the official website of Manchester United, the 13-time Premier League champions have now confirmed the appointment of Steve McClaren and Van der Gaag as Erik ten Hag's assistants.

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Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)
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