Pochettino to Man Utd: Why PSG boss’ future remains unclear
Robin Bairner
- 3 Mar 2022 09:35 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United’s hunt for a new manager could lead them to Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino, with a new man expected to be at the helm at Old Trafford in the summer.
Ralf Rangnick is presently in charge of Man Utd on an interim basis but is set to move upstairs into a role of advisor for two years after his stint in the dugout is up.
As the summer approaches, the search for a replacement is ramping up. Among those to be most closely linked with the post is Pochettino, a long-time managerial target of the Old Trafford club.
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Although the Argentine presently has PSG top of Ligue 1 and in possession of a 1-0 first-leg lead over Real Madrid in their Champions League last-16 tie, he has come under fire in Paris for failing to produce a more spectacular team given the wealth of attacking options he has in his arsenal.
Furthermore, there have been rumours of discord between Pochettino and sporting director Leonardo.
Leonardo refuses to reassure Pochettino
Although the Brazilian director rejected these in an interview with L’Equipe, he was hardly effusive in his praise of Pochettino, suggesting that an exit to Man Utd may be possible.
“He’s still got a year left of his contract,” Leonardo said. “We’ve never thought about changing coaches, we’ve not contracted Zinedine Zidane or anyone. We’ve seen the progress, even if a lot of things have happened.
“I’ve never had a problem with Pochettino. We’re very clear and talk about everything.”
Real Madrid were also linked with the coach last summer, while accusations flew that PSG lacked confidence in him by only giving him an 18-month deal as he replaced the sacked Thomas Tuchel.
“How could a coach in his situation not be motivated? You have a squad like that, you have the Champions League in front of you and you’re at PSG, where you yourself played. I don’t even see how this is a topic of discussion,” Leonardo said.
“I think he’s had moments of doubt, but he’s never asked to leave. He may have had difficult times, last February or March, and then he got Covid. Then during the summer, there were rumours of him leaving. He says not club asked him and no-one called us.”
What does this mean for Poch to Man Utd?
It is notable that throughout the interview, Leonardo only discusses the past and short-term future, offering no suggestion that Pochettino will be presented with a new deal at PSG this summer. Praise for the coach is also scant and vague.
Of course, at a club where the demands are huge, fortunes can rapidly change. If PSG were to go on and win the Champions League, Pochettino’s stock would soar, but with the club too often labouring to league victories, falling short of that could well end his Parc des Princes stay.
With Leonardo refusing to guarantee the Argentine’s future, Man Utd are right to be on alert.
