Recently, we had learned about the interview Manchester United have had with Erik ten Hag, the Ajax head coach, as one of the candidates for the managerial position. It has been clear for months now that Ralf Rangnick will not be continuing in that position – as such thing was never truly on the cards – and the club officials are now looking after their candidates to see for which one to go this summer. And now the latest reports suggest Man United had another interview.
According to the reports in France, Manchester United have held talks with Mauricio Pochettino, former Tottenham Hotspur manager and current Paris Saint-Germain coach who has been quite unhappy with his time at the club. Footmercato reported that Pochetino was recently interviewed by United’s officials and that he is one of the favourites for the role he has been linked with for years now. The Argentine manager was in the running in recent years whenever United were on the verge of making a managerial change.
However, no decision has been made. Man United have interviewed him and Ten Hag, but also have Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui as two other candidates in the running. With the way media are reporting about all four of them, it seems at this point in time that United will be making a decision between Ten Hag and Pochettino. That is why many expect the appointment process should now speed up.
Pochettino Is Not Enjoying France
Pochettino joined PSG at the start of 2021 and signed a contract until the end of June 2023. But quite quickly it became obvious he might not see out the entire contract. After replacing Thomas Tuchel in the position, Pochettino’s PSG did not do well enough in the Champions League and they also shockingly lost their title to Lille. Also, this season has been underwhelming despite PSG being clearly on course of returning the title in Paris. Their Champions League exit in the round of 16 against Real Madrid was a big hit for the club’s morale and considering how many world class stars they signed last summer, this team is far from being ideally functional and harmonic. Pochettino does not seem like someone enjoying his term in France either and a return to England would definitely be something he would be looking forward to, especially to Manchester United.
He Could Make United Go After Trophies
His time in France has been far from great, but we should not forget PSG are not an ideal club to get the best out of managers. Tuchel also struggled and then shined at Chelsea, and all of Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery and Pochettino have done much better at other clubs than in Paris. That is why the Argentine’s track record in France should not be too great of a concern – it is a trend that follows PSG managers due to the club hierarchy, structure and culture.
With everything Pochettino has done with Southampton and especially Tottenham, he would be a highly regarded option for the club, but fans as well. Pochettino could be the ideal manager for making Manchester United go through restructuring of the squad and greatly improving the team in order to challenge for all of the trophies. Let’s see what the club will decide…
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