Teddy Sheringham believes Mauricio Pochettino will be “perfect” for Manchester United

Former Man United and Spurs forward Teddy Sheringham has come out and said he believes Mauricio Pochettino will make for an ideal replacement for Erik ten Hag should Man United sack him in the summer.

Reports had begun circulating before last week’s FA Cup final stating that Ten Hag would be sacked regardless of what happened on Saturday given the otherwise disappointing season the United side had had.

Now that he has lifted the FA Cup, the INEOS sporting ownership of the club and in the process of making a decision on his future and are expected to make their verdict public in a few days.

Pochettino, on the other hand, was dismissed by Chelsea after one full season in charge under remarkable circumstances, given his side finished the season with a strong upward momentum, finishing sixth in the Premier League and earning in the process European football for next season.

Linking Pochettino to Man United, Sheringham had this to say:

“Out of all the candidates to replace Erik ten Hag, I think Mauricio Pochettino stands out, I think he has all the credentials to manage Manchester United.

“I think he’s been around the block and is a good age, I like the way he gets his teams playing football and I think he would be perfect for United if Ten Hag is to leave the club.

“I think he was phenomenal at Tottenham and he makes players better when they are coached under him, he doesn’t just buy to fit his plan, he makes them better.

“In the system that he plays, his teams have the ball most of the time, it’s not all about chasing after it. 

“He takes the game to the opposition and that’s exactly how Manchester United want to play. He may have had his eye on the job for a while, but every manger in the world would take the United job.

“It’s a huge job, a huge football club and I think that if they are looking for a new manager then Pochettino would be the man.”

Sheringham speaking to Genting Casino about Pochettino, as quoted and reported by Metro

Poch won’t be quite perfect for the Red Devils, and here’s why

If reports coming out of Chelsea are to be believed, Pochettino was let go partly because he wanted more control over the matter of player acquisition and departures going forward. The new Chelsea ownership, keen to have a proper footballing hierarchy in place, were reluctant to offer him that.

Man United, themselves under new ownership on the sporting front, are currently without a director of football and are in the process of solving that situation, so for the time being, they could offer Pochettino the control he reportedly wants.

But it won’t be permanent. Not “long-term”. And if you’re not thinking long-term, which United currently cannot, then bringing Pochettino to Old Trafford makes little sense.

More Manchester United News-

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It’s better to continue with Ten Hag if United don’t have a viable short-term alternative before their directorial situation is sorted.