"Here's the reason" - Journalist reveals why Antonio Conte missed out on Manchester United job despite wanting it

Journalist Richard Keys has claimed that Antonio Conte missed out on the Manchester United job despite wanting it after senior individuals in the Red Devils dressing room vetoed his appointment.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has finally been relieved of his duties by Manchester United after being under immense pressure for months. The Red Devils had decided to back him until the end of the season, but were left with no choice following the side's 4-1 defeat to Watford at the weekend.

Having pulled the plug on Solskjaer, Manchester United have reportedly turned their attention towards appointing an interim manager to lead the team until the end of the season. Meanwhile, Michael Carrick has been appointed as the caretaker boss.

Manchester United have been linked with a host of managers since Solskjaer's departure. Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax coach Erik ten Hag are among those associated with the Red Devils.

One manager Manchester United were heavily linked with recently is Conte. The former Inter boss was claimed to be interested in a move to Old Trafford, but took the reins at Tottenham Hotspur after being overlooked by the Red Devils.

English journalist Keys has now claimed that Conte missed out on the Manchester United job despite wanting it after seniors in the Red Devils dressing room got involved. The BeIN Sports presenter suggested that those individuals vetoed the Italian's appointment.

Keys also insisted that someone with strong links to Juventus played a key role in Conte not getting the Manchester United job. He said:

"Here’s the reason why Antonio Conte is at Spurs and not United. Oh, make no mistake - he wanted the United job, but once senior individuals in the dressing room had been asked their view - one in particular, with strong links to Juventus - Conte wasn’t getting it. This guy had had too many of the same conversations with ‘friends’, who all told the same stories. Conte is tough to be around. Tough and predictable", Keys wrote on his blog.

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Could Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo have prevented Antonio Conte from getting the job?

Keys claimed someone in the Manchester United dressing room with strong links to Juventus played a key role in Antonio Conte not getting the managerial job. One senior member in the Red Devils dressing room with links to the Bianconeri is Cristiano Ronaldo.

While this is just speculation, it is hard to deny Ronaldo fits the bill as per Keys' description. It remains to be seen if it the Portugal international indeed vetoed Conte's appointment as Manchester United boss.