Gary Neville and Micah Richards in heated debate over Antonio Conte as Manchester United manager

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has disagreed with fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards that Antonio Conte would have been a good appointment for the Reds ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's exit.

Ahead of United pulling the trigger on Solskjaer back in November, Conte, as revealed by the Manchester Evening News a month earlier, was open to the idea of replacing the Norwegian in the event of him being sacked. However, United were understood not to be completely sold on Conte's methods and style.

Solskjaer, of course, was sacked a month later following a 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road and was replaced by Ralf Rangnick on a deal until the end of the season. United have struggled to make progress under his stewardship and questions, following Sunday's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, have been raised about whether or not the club was right to go for a short-term solution when they did.

READ MORE: Manchester United find out who their most important player is in thrashing by Man City

Following the full-time whistle at the Etihad Stadium, Richards and Neville got involved in a heated debate about whether or not Conte should have been targeted by United ahead of him taking over at Tottenham Hotspur. For Richards, appointing Conte would have made perfect sense for the Reds because of his record of winning silverware.

"They should have gone for Conte," Richards told Sky Sports. "Conte was available before he went to Spurs and he was the best available manager at the time.

"Just because he doesn't fit the 'Man United way,' he didn't get in? The 'Man United way' doesn't exist anymore; they don't win any trophies.

"Conte is a winner. He has come from Inter Milan. Do United not want winners now? He