Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken out on Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to hire Antonio Conte.
The Italian had been heavily touted as his Manchester United replacement, with The Guardian reporting just last week that Conte was keen on the Red Devils job.
Perhaps wary of United’s possible interest, Tottenham moved decisively this week to appoint Conte after sacking Nuno Santo.
Santo’s firing came following a defeat to Solskjaer’s Manchester United at the weekend.
Had United followed up the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool with a defeat to Spurs, then pressure would have intensified on Solskjaer’s job – and Tottenham would have stuck by Nuno, for another week at least.
It was a real sliding doors moment for both clubs, with United winning the game, and Tottenham potentially emerging as the real victors, hiring a top level coach as consequence of their defeat.
Solskjaer comments on Conte appointment
Tuttosport report Solskjaer was quizzed by Sky Italia’s camera before United’s game with Atalanta for a line on Antonio Conte to Tottenham.
Solskjaer said: “Conte has already shown that he is a winning coach, I met him for the last time in England during a dinner with Ferguson.
“He will bring a lot to Tottenham.”
Conte will make Tottenham stronger, and while this season will be a learning season for both team and manager, they are still capable of finishing inside the top four.
United can breathe a brief sigh of relief that one of the two matches with Spurs is played already, rather than having both to come.
Conte will have his team fired up for the match at Old Trafford when the sides meet in 2022.
He will want to prove a point against United and show the club were wrong to pass up on him. Whether Solskjaer is still in charge by then, remains to be seen.
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