“Wake up, the football world has changed” Jamie Carragher slams ‘naive’ Manchester United for believing there is ‘another Sir Alex Ferguson’ out there

Football pundit Jamie Carragher has criticized Manchester United for their naivety in believing they will find another Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Red Devils recently sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and are on the lookout for a new manager. Michael Carrick is currently the interim boss, with the club reportedly set to bring in another interim manager to help them see out the season.

Manchester United missed a trick when they failed to sign Antonio Conte after their 5-0 loss to Liverpool last month. Conte was said to be interested in the job, but pundits such as Gary Neville and the Red Devils hierarchy reportedly didn't believe he would be a good fit. The Italian eventually moved to Tottenham Hotspur, while Solskjaer held on to his job for close to a month post the loss to Liverpool.

Jamie Carragher praised Spurs chairman Daniel Levy for moving swiftly to replace Nuno Espirito Santo with Conte. The former Liverpool defender wrote in his column for The Telegraph (via Caught Offside):

“Spurs were smart in moving slightly earlier for the outstanding Antonio Conte. For all the criticism Daniel Levy gets, he saw which way the wind was blowing at Old Trafford quicker than anyone in power at Manchester United. We will never know if Conte could have been tempted to United instead, had they shown any interest.

“Some say Conte was not the right fit for United," he added. "Speak to those at the highest level of football and there is general bewilderment at that. What exactly do United want? Are they so naive as to believe there is another Sir Alex Ferguson out there, who will run the club in his image for the next 25 years? Wake up! The football world has changed. Those managers do not exist anymore.”

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"Manchester United have missed out on so many brilliant coaches" - Carragher criticizes Red Devils for 'hiding' behind a notion of rebuilding

Manchester United are rumored to be keen to bring in Mauricio Pochettino to take over the club. However, the Red Devils could have achieved this in 2019 itself when Pochettino was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur. Instead, the club backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and continued to do so until earlier this month.

Jamie Carragher criticized Manchester United for the same. The Sky Sports pundit said:

“United have missed out on so many brilliant coaches who were available over the last three years, including Conte, Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel; managers who could have delivered title bids and successful Champions League campaigns here and now, given the talent in the squad and the vast sums spent.”

Carragher went on to add that the amount of money spent by Manchester United during Solskjaer's reign should have delivered better returns.

“Instead, the club has hidden behind the notion of a gradual rebuilding, when they have spent £312 million on new players under Solskjaer – the highest in the Premier League – and have the highest wage bill," he said. "Manchester City and Chelsea demand instant returns for that kind of investment. The United squad should have been doing so much better than it is, not just this season but in the last couple of years.”

Solskjaer's departure has taken Manchester United back to square one as they look for a manager once again. However, whoever they bring in will have an extremely talented squad at their disposal.