Mauricio Pochettino is poised to become Manchester United manager and it’s not out of the question that they can get the Paris St-Germain boss right now.
The Argentinian is highly rated at Old Trafford but has a feeling it will be difficult for him to leave PSG in the middle of the season.
United fired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday and said they were looking to appoint an interim coach.
But Pochettino’s available potential could change that.
It is not thought that United have taken an approach but the 49-year-old is not entirely happy with the setup at PSG, where his role is essentially first-team coach, with all both clubs and broader football matters handled by the sport. director Leonardo.
Pochettino has gained more control during his five years in charge of Tottenham and is known to be keen on returning to the Premier League.
He has never divulged any secrets about his wanting to manage the English game again and while he lives in a hotel in Paris, his family remains in London. That commuting factor isn’t considered too important, however, as it’s as easy to reach the capital from Paris as it is from Manchester.
The former Southampton coach has led PSG for 10 months and this season, they are 11 points above the top of the Ligue 1 table after 14 games and 1 point behind Manchester City in the Champions League group. Indeed, Pochettino will travel to Manchester this week for the team’s game against the Premier League champions.
Part of his unhappiness in Paris is around the club’s culture. His team includes superstars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar but the squad is unbalanced. There’s a surplus of left-backs, for example, and it feels like they don’t need to sign Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the summer.
Those hiring decisions are out of Pochettino’s hands because, in terms of transfers, he’s basically an advisor to Leonardo.
After taking charge of the Parc des Princes in January, Pochettino has had a tough first season trying to overcome longstanding criticism of him – that he hasn’t won major trophies.
He lifted the Trophee des Champions – the equivalent of France’s Community Shield – within days of taking over and went on to win the French Cup in May.
But PSG failed to win the Ligue 1 title for the second time in nine seasons, one point behind Lille, and were knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester City in the semi-finals.
Pochettino does not want to force a move midway through the season but a move to Old Trafford could benefit both sides, as PSG’s Qatari owners are known to be huge fans of Zinedine Zidane, the former Real Madrid manager, who has retired.
However, there are other possibilities for United.
They are also fans of Ajax’s Erik Ten Hag but it is believed he will not want to leave the club midway through the season. Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers also has his admirers.
Should United make an interim appointment, their former France defender Laurent Blanc has been mentioned as a potential candidate. He has not had a job in Europe since 2016 and is working in Qatar.
It is also thought that former United captain Steve Bruce will be interested in a short-term role after he leaves Newcastle.
