Mauricio Pochettino is ready for a swift return to football management, with Man Utd among possible destinations for the former Tottenham Hotspur manager.
The well-respected coach recently visited his boyhood team, Newell’s Old Boys, and told Fox Sports in Argentina (via The Mirror) he has “a lot of clubs and attractive projects” in his midst.
Pochettino has given the impression he’s almost ready for a comeback which is certain to pile more pressure on Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
READ MORE: Opinion: With Tottenham and Man City to come, is Solskjaer close to losing his job?
“It is my intention to return to manage in Europe. It is hard for me to imagine a project in Argentina. However, for the sake of my family, I would not refuse to work over here.
“But now I need to be calm for a few days and see what happens. I haven’t had a lot of time to digest what has happened with me. My first decision was to come back to Argentina, return to my home and see family and friends. But I expect to return to Europe to make decisions on my future.
“My best decision was to come to Argentina to switch off for 10 days. At my age, I don’t need a lot of time to recover. I am open to listen to projects put before me.”
Pochettino was recently replaced by José Mourinho at Spurs, while Freddie Ljungberg is now interim manager of Arsenal after they sacked Unai Emery. I don’t think Poch would manage Arsenal — in a bid to remain loyal to his former club — but the opportunity to manage at Old Trafford would appeal to the Argentine, Stretty News has long understood.
Moreover, patience with Solskjaer is running thin with United now three games without a win.
A manager like Pochettino won’t be available for long and there is a chance he’ll land the Bayern Munich job in the summer. Real Madrid is surely another potential job that could be offered to Poch unless Zinedine Zidane turns things around at the Bernabeu…
Real Madrid need to sack Zidane soon and appoint Pochettino.
— Deji Faremi (@deejayfaremi) November 23, 2019
The 47-year-old failed to win a major trophy during his time with Spurs, but he brought the club into contention with Premier League title races and made them a regular Champions League outfit, not to mention their impressive run to last season’s final.
Si Lloyd of Joe.ie recommended United move on from club legend Solskjaer and appoint Pochettino:
It’s not working though. Yeah, he may need time, but it’s still not getting any better. They need players; more importantly, they need a manager who’ll improve the existing squad. Not going after Pochettino now would be ridiculous. Still not sure they will though.
— Si Lloyd (@SmnLlyd5) December 1, 2019
There has been no hints from the United board that Solskjaer’s job is under threat – but, with Pochettino available, it’s a good time to change managers should it ever come to that.
It would be a disaster if United sacked Solskjaer later on in the season if Pochettino took a managerial role elsewhere!
