Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Nuno Espirito Santo after just three months in charge following a 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United.

The Portuguese head coach was under mounting pressure following a run of poor results and an uninspiring style of football.

Boos rang around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at half-time, full-time, and when he chose to bring off Lucas Moura for Steven Bergwijn.

Reports emerged of Nuno's sacking, with Antonio Conte coming in to replace him, despite turning the job down in the summer.

For Spurs supporters, the appointment of Conte will be a welcome one, given his pedigree.

However, the decision to sack Nuno and appoint the Italian now will cause many to scratch their heads. Why could they have not just met Conte's demands in the summer?

The defeat to a Manchester United side, who themselves were under immense pressure following their 5-0 loss to Liverpool, has proven to be the final straw for the Tottenham board.

It must be said that the appointment of Conte does not guarantee an instant solution to the number of problems currently present at N17. While the Italian is a no-nonsense winner who will demand 100%, the current Spurs squad needs to step up dramatically to match his requirements.

A shift to Conte's preferred system of three at the back looks to suit this crop of players, especially if he gets Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son firing together upfront.

The priority for Conte must be implementing a philosophy of football that the players buy into, something Nuno failed to do in his short tenure.

If the Italian hopes to be successful, he needs to convince a group of players who don't always seem committed.

Arguably his biggest challenge on the pitch will be finding a system that matches the attacking style the Spurs faithful have been crying out for and getting the best out of star striker Harry Kane.

His appointment raises questions around the futures of Dele Ali, Lucas, Bergwijn and how they may fit into his three at the back system.

One thing that can be said for certain, however, is that Conte will have his eyes firmly set on silverware - despite having his work cut out.