'Nothing surprises you' - Ally McCoist backs bold Man Utd move for rival manager

Ally McCoist doesn’t believe Antonio Conte should be completely ruled out of taking the Manchester United job in the summer.

The Red Devils are in the process of hiring a new manager to replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick when his spell in charge comes to an end in May with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag and PSG’s Mauricio Pochettino in contention.

Ten Hag has already been interviewed for the job but McCoist reckons Tottenham boss Conte could still be an option if Pochettino is sacked by PSG and returns to the north London club.

United previously overlooked Conte after sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the Italian remains tentatively linked with the Old Trafford job.

‘I think United missed the boat by not appointing Conte at the end of last year, and in normal circumstances you would think that ship had sailed, however, nothing surprises you in football,’ the Rangers legend told FourFourTwo.

‘You hear the rumours that Mauricio Pochettino wants to go back to Spurs, and doesn’t fancy United, so I wouldn’t rule out Conte going to United.

‘The one thing Conte wants is financial backing, and I am not sure he is happy with what he is getting at Spurs. He has done a few strange interviews, and made a few comments that would indicate that is the case.

‘United have great players, but they are not a great team, and I think Conte could help mould them into that. It is a time for real change.’

Free-agent Zinedine Zidane was also considered when United sacked the Norwegian at the end of last year and having won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid he has plenty of experience in managing at the top level.

McCoist feels the Frenchman shouldn’t be overlooked this time around and also suggested United try to lure Diego Simeone away from