Krishnan Sreekumar
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino faces sack and will seek to become Manchester United’s next manager
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino could get the boot from the French side after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last night, increasing his chances of becoming the next Manchester United manager.
PSG gave up a 2-0 overall lead at half-time of the fixture last night to see themselves lose 3-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, as Real’s Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick to send the Ligue 1 side out of the knockout competition.
It is said that the loss to Los Blancos has more of a damaging effect to Pochettino than just losing out on a trophy, as the Parc des Princes outfit may hasten his exit. The club is less likely to fight to keep the Argentine in the summer, paving the way for him to land the Man United job.
Despite the Champions League exit, PSG look to be on course to win the Ligue 1 title this year under Pochettino as the club sit a pretty 13 points clear at the top of the league table. However, this is the only trophy they are likely to lift this season as they have been knocked out of other domestic competitions.
Links to United job
The Argentine only took charge of the Paris side at the beginning of the season, but it is said that the club have been considering a change for some time. Apparently, there are doubts within the media as to whether Pochettino has settled in Paris or is the right coach to take guide them to domestic and European glory.
Given this, the 50-year-old has been linked to taking over the managerial position at the Theatre of Dreams ahead of next season. However, his lack of a trophy collection while in charge of the mega-rich club boasting of world-class players could go against the Red Devils’ potential decision to hire him. Given the resources at his disposal, he was expected to win it all in France.
Boasting of a squad that featured Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi, Pochettino still found himself on the losing end of the tie after winning the first leg 1-0. Many would have put PSG as the favourites to go through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but Benzema had other plans.
This however, could turn into good news for the Red Devils as it opens the possibility of signing the Argentine in the summer if his current club sacks him at the end of the season. United need a new permanent manager ahead of the next campaign, and there are few better than the incumbent PSG boss.
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It is said that even the United players favour him to take charge of the squad in the summer, which is only sure to be a big boost in the club’s pursuit of the manager. Given the fine job he did at Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton while in the Premier League, he could be a good fit at Old Trafford.
The only thing standing against him to seal his job as the next Man United boss is the fact that he has no major trophies to prove his worth. The Red Devils are looking for managers who can guide them to titles from next season, but Pochettino’s CV falls well short in this regard.
