After Manchester United's brutal and humiliating loss to rivals Liverpool to the tune of 5-0, it feels as though the writing's on the wall. Something needs to change.
Even though the Premier League table doesn’t look as horrific as it has in the past with United sitting in seventh place, they're currently level on points with teams like Arsenal, Everton and Leicester. The worry is that United now have Tottenham and Manchester City to play with any further dropped points likely to send them hurtling further down the table.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is most likely on borrowed time. No Premier League team has made fewer tackles or more errors leading to shots than United this season, while only two teams have kept fewer clean sheets. Their attack has also struggled at times with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes the only players to notch more than two goals in all competitions.
A change of manager is needed and MEN's understanding is that former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is open to taking over at Manchester United.
Conte has enjoyed success with a number of high-profile clubs across Europe as well as with the Italian national team. He's renowned for his tactics and style of play, and so I've decided to take a look at whether the former Inter Milan boss would be a good fit at Old Trafford.
Many United fans are concerned about the potential appointment of Conte, to which I would ask: why?
Conte is preceded by his reputation for being a hot-headed manager who doesn’t stick around long, with Old Trafford regulars worrying he won't play 'the United way’ and that his system won't suit the United squad. I personally think he'd be a great fit for United's current crop of players.
Conte is well-known for his preference for a three-at-the-back system. Primarily using either a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2, the Italian tactician has transformed a whole host of teams with this formation and it's allowed him to rejuvenate certain players.
Many fans view a back three as being a defensive move - this couldn't be any further from the truth with Conte.
If Conte were to take the reins at Old Trafford and adopt his usual back-three system, one of the big questions raised is how would Aaron Wan-Bissaka fit into his team, but he would be unlikely to even be tasked with playing at wing-back.
Conte's wing-backs are essentially wingers. Players like Juan Cuadrado, Victor Moses and Antonio Candreva have all flourished under Conte in a wing-back role despite their natural position being much further up the pitch.
The wing-backs are attackers covered in Conte’s system and, in my opinion, the likes of Jadon Sancho, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford or even Fred could thrive in said position.
In terms of the rest of the backline, Solskjaer's current centre-back options include Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Eric Bailly, while even Luke Shaw could possibly push into the centre.
When you cast your mind back to Conte's Chelsea tenure, David Luiz thrived under his leadership. Being played as a sweeper who was allowed to bring the ball out from the back and dictate the game, Luiz was an integral part of Chelsea's game plan.
I can't be the only one thinking Maguire would be able to do exactly the same if not better?
Covered by the likes of Varane, Bailly or even Shaw if he wanted to emulate the use of Cesar Azpilicueta at centre-back, Maguire would have the freedom to showcase his ball-playing ability without the worry of being caught out by rapid counterattacks.
Tactics aside, I admit there are other potential ‘worries’ around Conte such as his attitude and his inability to stay in a job for too long. Again, all wrong.
It's easy to see why Conte left his last two managerial positions. He'd transformed Inter Milan from a top-four team to a side that dominated Italy's top tier, yet when he asked for more resources to tackle Europe he was told there was nothing available. Instead, he was told to sell some of his best players. Any manager would leave in that situation.
During his time at Stamford Bridge he dominated the Premier League, but having delivered the club just their second title in seven years, his pleas for players like Romelu Lukaku, Virgil van Dijk, and Alex Sandro were answered with the signings of Alvaro Morata, Danny Drinkwater and Davide Zappacosta.
Say what you like about Conte but one thing he will always be is a winner and he doesn't accept second best.
He plays attacking football, he wants to entertain the fans while maintaining a balance between attack and defence, he gets the best out of what he's given and he's already won a Scudetto with United cast-offs like Ashley Young, Alexis Sanchez and Matteo Darmian. If he can do that with the players United didn't want, imagine what he could do with players they do want.
Antonio Conte would rejuvenate this team and deliver what the fans of this great club deserve.
Would you take Conte at United? Follow our new United On My Mind Editor Mike Parrott on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
