Gary Lineker’s Man Utd theory envisions one ‘problem’ in preventing Antonio Conte’s appointment

Gary Lineker has insisted that there is only one roadblock to stopping Antonio Conte from being the next Manchester United manager at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick has kept hold of his role at the Premier League club by the skin of his teeth after mounting speculation over his long-term future earlier this week.

The 45-year-old Manchester United manager appears to be on thin ice after he was backed by Ineos and took charge of Tuesday’s training session at Carrington.

Michael Carrick will be in the dugout for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Stamford Bridge, but the Red Devils legend faces a huge test against Chelsea now.

READ MORE: Why Antonio Conte is complete write-off for Man Utd after Rene Meulensteen’s damning verdict

Gary Lineker says a Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Antonio Conte dynamic would simply not work at Man Utd

Antonio Conte’s name has been attached to Manchester United and the 57-year-old Italian coach is currently a free agent. The former Napoli and Juventus manager has been linked with a move to Old Trafford if Michael Carrick is sacked from his role at the Premier League club.

Man Utd-linked Conte is not the only option available on the market, as former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and ex-Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann have been floated around as potential options. Conte dismissed speculation around United recently in a social media post after it was suggested that he was in advanced talks with the Red Devils.

Gary Lineker explained that a stumbling block for Conte’s arrival at Man Utd would be Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s stance on not giving the Italian more power in his role. It has been suggested that Conte would want more influence behind the scenes on the squad-building process, including signing players who would fit his style.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said: “The one thing I would say on that is that I’m not sure someone like Ratcliffe would allow someone to run the club. And therein, for me, lies the problem.”

READ MORE: Man Utd’s managerial answer to Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp is now clear if Michael Carrick is sacked

Lineker suggested that United won’t be an appealing destination for managers in world football if Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos regime cannot function from the top downwards.

“Until they sort their top out, I don’t see it as an attractive [proposition] for the great coaches in the game at the moment,” he explained.

“I mean, obviously, one or two are out of work and they look at it and, you know, you bring, say, Conte, you bring in Conte: brilliant coach, elite, has won leagues in different countries.

“But he’s got a style of football that’s kind of very pragmatic, more defensive, probably, than perhaps Manchester United’s supposed identity. And if they keep changing styles with every manager as well, there’s no long-term plan. At some stage, they need to go, ‘Right, we do need to restructure everything. We do need to think about our recruitment. We do need to think about getting someone in long term.’

“Now, I’m sure whenever they sign any of the coaches, they’ve considered, ‘Oh, this will be it. This will be long term.’ But until they get the other bit right, that ain’t going to happen, is it?”

Conte has been out of management since the end of the 2025-26 campaign after the former Italy manager left his role at Napoli. The ex-Chelsea and Tottenham head coach lifted the Serie A title with Napoli during his managerial spell at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.