Tottenham manager Antonio Conte’s damning verdict on Manchester United’s current league position

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte issued a damning verdict on Manchester United’s current league position ahead of this weekend’s titanic clash at Old Trafford.

The Italian - who nearly joined the Red Devils before taking over at Spurs - said Ralf Rangnick’s squad is good enough to be challenging for the Premier League and the Champions League.

United have only won two of their last eight matches in all competitions, and sit one point out of the Champions League behind Arsenal who are in fourth, with the Manchester outfit having played three more games.

Ralf Rangnick’s side were battered by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and they will be taking on Tottenham this weekend, hoping to return to winning ways and keep a push on for the Premier League’s top four.

The Red Devils have endured a torrid period since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, and they are desperate to return to the heights of dominating domestic and continental football which made Manchester the capital of English football.

This season they re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo to add to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, but that has only got them fifth place in the league and they’ve already been knocked out of the FA Cup.

Conte, who had been linked to the Manchester United job before moving to North London, said after his side’s demolition of Everton that his team will have to be prepared for the visit to Old Trafford.

The Italian manager said: “At the same time I want to tell you what I said to my players: ‘OK this is the past and enjoy the game tonight but from tomorrow you have to think about Saturday’s game against United.’

“They’re a really strong team, a team that in my opinion [has] a squad that is ready to fight for the Premier League and every competition that they play in.

“It will be a real challenge for us and I want to see the answer, the answer about my players and also myself.”

Conte’s comments further highlights the cry within some sections of the Manchester United fanbase who believe their recent struggles are down to coaching rather than quality of players.

Over the weekend former Manchester United captain Roy Keane described the performance against City as laying down tools and said some of the players did not deserve to play for Manchester United again.

The now Sky Sports pundit said: “There were some players there as we were watching it live and I am looking at them and I am getting really frustrated watching them.

“I can forgive mistakes but you have got to run back.

“There are five or six players there who should never play for Manchester United again.”