Thierry Henry Laughs At Antonio Conte When He Explains How He Handles Players With Bad Attitudes, He Was Being Serious

Antonio Conte gave the world a glimpse into his no-nonsense style of management during a fascinating interview with former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

The 52-year-old has been heavily linked with the Manchester United job in recent days as speculation surrounding Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's future remains in the balance after an embarrassing 5-0 defeat against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

In fact, the former Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager, who won Serie A last season with the Nerazzurri, is favourite to take over from Solskjaer if he departs, with reports suggesting the Norwegian has three games to save his job.

Image credit: PA

Conte would certainly bring a wealth of experience to Old Trafford if he decided to take the role but judging by the following comments during an interview with Thierry Henry, he would also get the dressing room in order by any means necessary.

In the interview, Henry asks Conte about how he handles players with bad attitudes.

"I always talk about education and respect. I give this, but I demand this," he says. "If someone hasn't the good attitude during the training session or the good behaviour, in different circumstances, then I would prefer to kill him.

"If a manager closes his eyes and does not want to see the bad situation he will lose the changing room."

Reports suggest there is currently unrest in United's changing room as tensions rise and results go against the Reds. I think it is safe to say Conte would have a strong authority amongst some big personalities at Old Trafford.

Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor recently spoke about the interview between Conte and Henry

"I like Conte. I saw an interview he did with Thierry Henry. Henry said, 'What would you do if a player didn't obey your tactics?' And Conte said, 'I'd probably kill them'.

"Henry is laughing but Conte is deadly serious. He says, 'You have to respect the manager, you have to respect the tactics, you have to work hard'."

Agbonlahor went on to speak about former teammate Ashley Young, who played under Conte during his spell at Inter Milan.

"Ashley Young, I spoke to him about Conte, he played with him at Inter. He said, 'Non-stop running, every day in training, run run run'.

"If you can't run, you're not going to play in his teams. So I think he's what that team needs. Someone going in there and saying, if you're not doing what I want and you're not doing as you're told, you're out.

"I don't care if it's [Cristiano] Ronaldo, if it's [Mason] Greenwood, if it's [Paul] Pogba. If you're not doing what I want and working hard, you're coming to sit with me."

Image credit: PA

Do you think Conte is the right man for the United job?

Let us know in the comments.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Premier League, Job, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, thierry henry, Antonio Conte

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_