Ashley Young has played under some ferocious managers – but one man stood out in the anger management department.
Currently playing for Sean Dyche at Everton, who has something of a hard-nosed reputation, Young has worked with both Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho at Manchester United as well.
All three have a feisty streak, but it was his time under fiery Italian Antonio Conte that left Young’s eardrums banging during his 18 months at Inter Milan.
The 38-year-old, who will work as a talkSPORT pundit during Euro 2024, recalled Conte’s unique way of communicating during an appearance on the station’s Drivetime show.
“If you see Antonio Conte on the sidelines, wow. He was an angry guy,” he said.
“Even in training – I wouldn’t say he was worse in the games but I reckon he was worse in training and I don’t know why.
“He just had a way he wanted players to do certain things and if you weren’t doing it right, you knew.”
Young joined Inter in 2020 after nine years at Manchester United and won the Serie A title at a time when the world was in a global lockdown meaning he didn’t play in front of the usually vociferous crowds.
“I went in January and by March it was COVID so stadiums started to echo, so you heard him even more.
“He was really, really angry. I don’t think there was a single player who didn’t get that treatment, it was everyone.”
Conte’s fury is well-documented in the Premier League, where he had touchline spats with Thomas Tuchel and Mourinho as manager of Chelsea and Tottenham.
While the Italian might have been somewhat hotheaded, his passion also endeared him to the supporters, particularly at Chelsea where he won the Premier League in his first year.
Conte is currently out of work after he was sacked by Tottenham in 2021 but has been linked with posts at AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus.
However, any chance of a return to England looks unlikely at this stage despite his old post at Chelsea becoming available.
Instead, his compatriot Enzo Maresca is among the frontrunners with Chelsea making contact with Leicester over talks, talkSPORT understands.
Ashley Young is part of talkSPORT’s all-star line-up for Euro 2024, which begins on 14 June
News Summary:
- ‘Wow he was angry’ – I played under Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho but one manager stood out as fieriest
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