Antonio Conte explains why he was not considered for Manchester United job

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Antonio Conte insists he was never in contention to manage Manchester United this season and has played down claims he did not fit the profile of candidate they were looking to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Tottenham manager was one of the many names to be linked with the managerial position at Old Trafford last year as pressure mounted on Solskjaer before his sacking.

Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo following Tottenham's defeat to United last October, though Solskjaer would also be sacked three weeks later after a continued loss of form in the Premier League. READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino sends Manchester United warning as Cristiano Ronaldo response issued This weekend will see the first meeting of United since Conte and Ralf Rangnick took over at their respective clubs, and ahead of the match, the Tottenham manager was asked about being reportedly overlooked for the United job. "Honestly, I think that [when] United decided to sack Solskjaer, I [had already] signed for Tottenham," Conte said at his pre-match press conference. "I enjoyed doing this because, at that moment, I found this situation very good for me, to work in a modern club with a fantastic stadium, with a fantastic training ground, with a big task to try to build something important, to build something competitive for the future. "It [Solskjaer’s sacking] happened after I signed, but honestly, I am so focused on the Tottenham job that I didn’t read this. "Now the present is Tottenham for me.

I repeat, I’m enjoying a lot working at this club with these players. We are trying to improve, to increase our level, this is our target in this moment.