Despite reports earlier suggesting Erik ten Hag’s advantageous position in the race to become the next Manchester United manager, it is still as open as ever with Mauricio Pochettino still being considered.
What’s the word?
The 87.9% of the United fanbase who are hoping for the appointment of Ten Hag will be left fuming by the latest report.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano shared a fresh update on the Argentine’s status in relation to the United managerial gig:
“Mauricio Pochettino is still absolutely in the race. He had a conversation with Man United. They’re approaching people next to him since November.”
Supporters won’t like it
What we can take from the latest report from Romano is that the race is not over and a set decision has not yet been made.
Despite being the manager of PSG, Pochettino’s potential appointment has rattled the majority of the United faithful, given the fact that he did not win a single trophy at Spurs.
His two accolades with PSG, the French Cup and French Super Cup are also held on scrutiny due to the calibre of the competition in Ligue 1.
Although he is on track to win his first league title, things have not exactly gone to plan for the Argentine, with rifts between superstars Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi leaving fans feeling as though he can not manage big-name players.
The comparison between Zidane and Pochettino made by journalist Jonny Bentley sums up their managerial strengths whilst subtly addressing their weaknesses;
“Poch enjoys coaching and developing young players.
“Zidane is an expert in managing big egos and winning big trophies.”
Although Pochettino is seen as the underdog in the race to become United boss, you cannot fault his ability to rebuild a squad on a shoestring budget as he demonstrated at Spurs.
As for his lack of trophies, he so very nearly led Spurs to continental success, reaching the final of the most prestigious club competition in world football.
He also missed out on lifting the Premier League, after Leicester City stretched ahead of his Spurs side and Arsenal to complete what was a miraculous underdog story back in the 2015/2016 season.
Seen as the lesser entity in this race against Erik ten Hag, Poch will be hoping to take a leaf out of the Foxes’ book and complete his miraculous underdog story by becoming United’s next boss.
However, if that does happen, it may not go down well with the Old Trafford faithful.
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