Antonio Conte has suggested he would relish the challenge of taking Manchester United back to the top, as pressure mounts on interim boss Michael Carrick.
The Italian has been out of work since leaving Napoli at the end of last season, where he delivered the Serie A title in his brief two-year stint. He became only the second manager to bring the league crown to Naples since Diego Maradona's era in the late 1980s.
Conte's CV also includes league titles at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan. He has Premier League experience, having won the title at Chelsea at the first attempt and later managed Tottenham.
Conte's ambition to restore a fallen giant
Speaking to The Athletic, Conte said he wants to take a club whose history is built on trophies and restore it to competing for major honours.
"If you go to a club where the history speaks for itself - a history made up of trophies, league titles and victories - you can only honour that history in one way: by having the ambition to bring that club back, if it isn't there today, to fight for those goals," he said.
"I know full well that only one team can win every year, but I must carry in my heart, and instil in the hearts of the fans, my players and my directors, that spark, that hope that makes you say, 'f***, we can win'. You only make history by winning."
He added: "There are many clubs that have somewhat lost sight of their history. I'd like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more. Clubs where there's pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you're not going there just to take part, but to compete."
United's struggles and Carrick's position
United's last league title came in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in 2013, and they have not mounted a sustained title challenge since. Making the top four has become their main aim over the past decade.
The club are under pressure following a slow start to the season, with Carrick needing to improve results.
Conte's tendency to have short stints has previously been raised as a concern, with the Italian not staying longer than two years in any club job since his time at Juventus from 2011 to 2014.
Gary Neville previously said he did not think Conte would be the right fit for United. "I don't think they'll go for that option, personally," he said. "He's a great manager but I think certain managers fit certain clubs and I don't think Conte fits United personally."
