Antonio Conte has fuelled speculation that he could be interested in taking the reins at Manchester United after admitting he would love to restore a fallen giant to former glories.
Man Utd are the most successful team in Premier League history, but they have not won the title since 2013, in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge.
Serial winner's track record
Conte, meanwhile, has developed a reputation as a serial winner, having guided Napoli, Juventus, Inter Milan and Chelsea to league titles during famously volatile but successful stints at each club.
The Italian, who has been out of work since leaving Napoli, has routinely been linked with the Man Utd job since leading Chelsea to the 2016/17 Premier League title in his first season in England, and spent a short spell at Tottenham before an acrimonious exit, and he now appears to have opened the door to a move to Old Trafford.
Conte's ambition to restore history
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Conte said he would like the chance to manage a team that had historically been successful and make them winners again.
"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," Conte 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."
Pressure on Carrick
United have endured a difficult start to the season under Michael Carrick, winning just one of their opening five league games and crashing out of the Carabao Cup at home to Brighton.
Pressure is increasing on Carrick, and Conte would understandably be one of the leading candidates to take over from the former United midfielder were he to be relieved of his duties.
He continued: "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."
