Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly in the frame to be the new Manchester United if Erik ten Hag is sacked.
The Argentine left Chelsea by mutual consent on Tuesday evening (May 21) despite guiding the Blues to 6th place in the table with a run of five straight wins and a place in the Europa League, unless United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final to demote them to the Conference League.
Poch’s availability could have serious implications on Ten Hag’s position at Old Trafford, which is currently under threat after the Red Devils finished 8th in the table with a negative goal difference.
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According to The Sun, Pochettino was in a ‘two-horse race’ with Ten Hag to land the United job in April 2022 as his time at Paris Saint-Germain drew to a close. But after talks with then-United bosses Richard Arnold and John Murtough, they opted to pursue the Dutchman due to his depth of knowledge of United and his ideas to return success to Old Trafford.
The decision to hire Ten Hag was vindicated in his first season in charge as the Dutchman lifted the Carabao Cup and secured a 3rd place finish to return United back to the Champions League.
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(Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images)
However, this season has been nothing short of a disaster for United, with them dumped out bottom of their Champions League group to partner a miserable defence of the Carabao Cup and their wretched league position.
Ten Hag does have a chance at redemption on Saturday as United face neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday (May 25), but it’s said that even if the Reds do lift the cup at Wembley, the die may have already been cast on Ten Hag’s future.
Pochettino would be a popular choice at Old Trafford after he was previously thought of as a Jose Mourinho replacement, later taking Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final back in 2019. Poch went on to have a spell with PSG before moving back to London last summer.