Antonio Conte is being linked as a potential replacement for Michael Carrick at Manchester United, though one ex-Old Trafford star has warned it could be a "disaster"

Former Manchester United star Ashley Young has cautioned his old club against appointing Antonio Conte as manager. The Italian is once again being tipped for the job as Michael Carrick comes in for more scrutiny.

United's season went from bad to worse on Wednesday when Carrick's side lost 4-1 away to Como in the Champions League. The club's seventh straight game without a win led to some uncomfortable comments from the manager post-match, suggesting United's players aren't running enough in their efforts to earn results.

That's one specific area in which Young believes Conte, who coached him for 18 months at Inter Milan, would be a poor appointment. The former Juventus, Chelsea and Tottenham chief is renowned as a taskmaster when it comes to conditioning, where some in the current United squad may not meet the grade.

Young appeared on The Overlap Daily, where he was quizzed on whether he felt Conte was a genuine target for United, or the Italian and his team were attempting to orchestrate the move themselves.

"I’d go with the second one," he said. "I think linking himself to the job, saying that big clubs, he wants to get the history back and whatnot.

"I’ve worked underneath him at Milan. He’s crazy, by the way. Like he is crazy. He’s a bit like Diego Simeone on the sidelines. Like you hear him non-stop.

"Meetings were long. When I say long, I’m talking, if we lost the game, we could go in and do the meeting after the game and it stops literally everything and you could be there for three, four hours. I think that’s one of the reasons why he doesn’t last long at places because not just the players, he tries to test mentally, but the board as well and the owners."

Young then proceeded to put his former team on high alert as he addressed United's alleged lack of running. "There has been a lot of talk about Man United’s running stats," he added. "If they’re not going to run and Antonio Conte goes in there, it’s going to be a disaster."

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Conte has long held a reputation as having incredibly high standards when it comes to the fitness levels demanded of his players. He's also a keen believer in strict dieting and helped ex-United striker Romelu Lukaku shed weight and improve his conditioning during their time together at Inter.

During his first pre-season in charge of Tottenham in 2022, stories emerged of how Conte and his fitness team were putting the Spurs players through their paces. Reports even claimed one two-hour session in Seoul ended with Harry Kane throwing up, while Son Heung-min collapsed in front of a home audience.

Young - who only retired this year at Ipswich Town, aged 40 - was clearly up to the required standards. The veteran was long regarded as having impressive fitness levels throughout his playing career.

The same might not be said for numerous United players after struggling to keep up with Como's pace in Italy. And it's possible Conte's introduction to the current environment at Old Trafford could either bring the squad onto the next level or end in tears.