Manchester United told they should have appointed Antonio Conte over Erik ten Hag

Danny Murphy has defended his view that Gareth Southgate would have been a safer bet for Manchester United than Erik ten Hag, but identified the man who was “ideal” for the manager’s position.

The former Liverpool midfielder previously stated that he would have chosen the Three Lions boss and assistant Steve Holland over Ten Hag and his incoming team of assistants. Southgate has taken England to a World Cup semi-final and a Euros final in his first two major tournaments as boss.

He’s also managed to instil a great camaraderie within England the squad, which Murphy highlighted as something that United desperately need. The Match Of The Day pundit has now defended his position on talkSPORT, clarifying his comments.

READ MORE: Manchester United told they should have appointed Gareth Southgate instead of Erik ten Hag

He said: "I was asked a question which one would I have and I would better the devil you know from me because I know Steve (Holland) and I know Gareth (Southgate).

“I would’ve gone for them over Ten Hag because he’s an unknown quantity and he’s a risk but they’d both be risks at such a huge club like Man United.”

Murphy went on to explain how he thought Tottenham boss Antonio Conte was the right man for the job, after the Italian was tipped to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November. He continued: “I also went on to say in an ideal world they were slow to act on Conte and they should’ve went for him because he’s the ideal candidate that they needed at the time.

“I stand by it because there’s something lacking at United that needs to be addressed before you even start talking about how they would play on the pitch.”

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