Antonio Conte issues a warning to Erik ten Hag and issues a harsh assessment on Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag has been cautioned by Tottenham manager Antonio Conte that he "must struggle to win trophies" at Manchester United next season.
Ten Hag will take over as the Red Devils' permanent manager at the end of the season, following Ralf Rangnick. The Dutchman, who now plays for Ajax and has five medals to his name, has agreed to a three-year contract at Old Trafford.
Conte was linked with the United post before joining Tottenham in November, and he has since excelled in London, leading Spurs to fourth place in the Premier League. Rangnick's team is in sixth place, three points behind Spurs in the Champions League battle.
On Thursday afternoon, Conte added, "For sure, we're talking about a major club, an important club." "Don't forget that United finished second last season and have added [Raphael] Varane, [Jadon] Sancho, and [Cristiano] Ronaldo to the team."
"It's weird, because they've enhanced the team and have done worse than previous season," the Italian continued. It demonstrates that it is not simple, especially in England." Every manager in England has a big task because the standard is so high. When you're at Manchester United, you're under a lot of pressure. To earn prizes, you must battle. It's difficult since other teams are working on the same topic."
Conte made the remarks ahead of Tottenham's match against Brentford on Saturday night. Meanwhile, in Saturday's early kick-off, United will face Arsenal at the Emirates. After defeating Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Arsenal are level on points with Spurs.
Ten Hag's hiring was announced by United on Thursday morning. Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich's reserves, and Utrecht have all been managed by the 52-year-old. He took over as Ajax manager in December 2017 and has since won two Eredivisie championships.
This season, Ajax is on the verge of winning their third league title under Ten Hag. With only five games remaining, the four-time European winners are four points ahead of PSV in second place. Last Sunday, Ajax fell 2-1 to the same opponent in the Dutch Cup final.
"It will be sad to leave Ajax after these fantastic years," Ten Hag said at his introduction. "I can guarantee our supporters of my total devotion and attention on bringing this season to a triumphant end before I transfer to Manchester United."