Five Man Utd stars Antonio Conte would instantly axe if he replaces Michael Carrick
Antonio Conte would no doubt make some major changes if he replaced Michael Carrick as Man United manager, here are five players who could be at risk.
Manchester United manager Carrick is potentially facing a situation where he has just one match, Sunday's clash against Leeds United, to save his job given the club's dismal run of form this season.
Should Carrick be sacked just five months after being permanently appointed, it's heavily rumoured that Conte could be his replacement, something that would no doubt be bad news for some of United's players.
Marcus Rashford at risk of Man United exit under Antonio Conte
Throughout his time in the Premier League, Conte has made a name for himself for being pretty ruthless, particularly when a player no longer fits his plans.
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Perhaps most notably, Conte famously sent Diego Costa a text in June 2017 saying that, despite the fact he had just scored 20 Premier League goals to help Chelsea win the title, he was no longer in the manager's plans and would be sold that summer.
It therefore stands to reason that, should Conte arrive at Manchester United, there's likely to be some changes, and there are five players that we think are at risk of falling out of favour with the Italian manager.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford is currently in a very difficult spot at United as, despite being among the club's top earners, the England international isn't getting regular starts for the club.
Ahead of the 2026/27 season, it was widely expected that Rashford would sign a permanent deal with Barcelona, having enjoyed a successful spell with the La Liga giants last season.
Instead, Barcelona opted for England teammate Anthony Gordon and with no other club willing or able to pay Rashford's salary demands, he has remained at United.
But if Conte comes in, we can expect him to view a Rashford that isn't playing regularly as a valuable player to sell.
Unless Rashford can somehow find a way to displace one of United's front three by impressing Conte, we can expect him to be sold in order to fund a new signing either in January or next summer ahead of his contract expiring in 2028.
Mason Mount
Another underused yet highly-paid player in United's current squad is Mount, who arrived from Premier League rivals Chelsea in July 2023 for an initial £55million.
Unfortunately for both Mount and United, persistent injuries have prevented the former England star from really finding his footing at his new club, making just 76 appearances in all competitions during his time with United.
Add to this the fact that United invested in their midfield over the summer, bringing in players like Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, and Mount's place at United is looking more and more dispensable.
With Mount's contract also up in 2028, Conte may decide that the sooner they can sell him to fund a move for one of his targets, the better.
Luke Shaw
Another injury-prone player likely to be cut by Conte should he take over at United is Shaw who, despite his profile perhaps fitting a Conte team, simply cannot be relied upon to start regularly,
Shaw's contract with United is up in the summer, so if he was fit and Conte had been appointed by January, we could maybe see a sale then.
Failing that, allowing Shaw to leave as a free agent wouldn't be the worst decision in the world, and it would allow Conte to make a much needed signing of a new left-back as soon as possible.
Diogo Dalot
But it's not just the left side of United's defence that many fans feel needs reinforcement, as many would expect a complete defensive overhaul under a new manager.
With that in mind, Dalot could be on the chopping block for Conte as he, like many of United's current players, also has a contract expiring in June 2028.
Admittedly, of the options listed, Dalot would seem the most likely player to stay at United, given the fact his versatility means he still regularly starts for the club, but he would likely have to accept a role as a squad player rather than a starter with Conte bringing in new defenders.
Joshua Zirkzee
Zirkzee has been linked with a departure from United for some time now and under a new manager it may finally be time for the club to accept that his £36.54m move from Bologna in 2024 just hasn't worked out.
As already mentioned, Conte doesn't' like players that he deems surplus to requirements and so, unless Zirkzee can make himself preferred over Benjamin Sesko, he could be seen as expendable, particularly with Matheus Cunha also an option at centre-forward.
READ MORE: How Man Utd will line-up under Antonio Conte with three new signings and one star player dropped
Will Antonio Conte replace Michael Carrick at Man United?
Of course, all of these potential departures rely on both Carrick actually being sacked and Conte being selected as his replacement.
But for many, a loss to Leeds United on Sunday would leave Carrick's position as United manager untenable, and with Conte currently avaialble after leaving Napoli at the end of the last season, it seems like an appointment would be relatively easy.
The Italian manager, who won the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea, even hinted in a recent interview that he was considering joining a club like United next.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “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."
Later, he added: "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.”
Given United's current run of five matches without a win, sitting 13th in the Premier League having crashed out of the Carabao Cup in their first match, it sounds like Conte would revel at the chance to fix United.
READ MORE: How Man Utd could line up under Eddie Howe with four new signings and two stars dropped
Topics: Antonio Conte, Premier League, Man Utd
Ben McCrum