Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United appointing Mauricio Pochettino ‘more real than ever’ as Paris Saint-Germain boss is interviewed
According to Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna (h/t Express), Manchester United have completed interviewing Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino, as they step up their efforts to hire a new permanent manager in the summer.
Pochettino is not a new face or name for United fans, having seen him come up against them previously while he was in charge of Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, even causing some upsets against the Red Devils during his time in the Premier League.
Currently in charge of PSG, his work with Saints and Spurs have impressed the hierarchy at Old Trafford, who consider him one of the leading candidates to be offered the vacant permanent manager job ahead of the new campaign.
Ralf Rangnick is currently in charge of the team, having been roped in from Lokomotiv Moscow on an interim basis to guide the side to a strong finish at the end of the season, finishing in the top four of the league table in order to qualify for the Champions League next term.
Priority for several months
Pochettino’s links to United will now become even stronger as he has completed his interview for the vacancy in Manchester. It is said that the possibility of the Argentine being offered the role next season ‘remains more real than ever’ following the meeting with club officials.
In recent weeks, the Red Devils have also interviewed Ajax Amsterdam boss Erik ten Hag, who is the leading candidate for the job alongside Pochettino. Despite this, the Manchester club has informed the incumbent PSG manager that they are in no rush to name their choice. This comes after he has been the club’s priority for several months.
ten Hag provides very strong competition to Pochettino’s hopes of becoming the next manager of the Old Trafford outfit, with the Dutchman winning multiple trophies and league titles during his time with Ajax. In fact, he is currently on course to lead them to a hat-trick of Eredivisie titles this season as they sit on top of the league table.
In comparison, Pochettino does not have any major honours to show off in his CV, apart from the French domestic cups he won in his early days at the Parc des Princes. That being said, he too is on course to win the Ligue 1 title for PSG, with the team sitting pretty on top of the league table.
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What the Argentine has over ten Hag is the fact that he has an abundance of Premier League experience in his kitty. He earned plaudits for his work at Spurs and at Saints, with him leading the former to a UEFA Champions League final in his penultimate season at the club- something the Red Devils haven’t managed to do since 2011.
He will hope that this gives him an edge over his rival in the race to be appointed as United’s new manager, as the club looks to usher in a new era at the Theatre of Dreams. Whichever one of the two is finally appointed by club officials, United fans can surely be happy with what they are getting.
