Manchester United ‘open discussion’ with Mauricio Pochettino | OneFootball

Manchester United have reportedly taken a significant step towards appointing Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor.

What’s the story?

According to well-known journalist and transfer expert Duncan Castles, the Red Devils have ‘opened discussions’ to bring the 49-year-old tactician to Old Trafford.

He tweeted: “Manchester United open discussions to extract Mauricio Pochettino from Paris Saint-Germain mid-season.”

Castles goes into more detail in the ongoings behind the scenes at United, stating in his report that Pochettino is their ‘preferred candidate’ to replace Solskjaer after Zinedine Zidane passed up on the opportunity to do so.

“Record Sport understands that the Old Trafford hierarchy has drawn encouragement by the speed with which Pochettino has signalled his intent to leave Paris Saint-Germain less than four months into his first full season as the Qatar-owned club’s coach and have begun conversations on buying out the 49-year-old’s contract,” he wrote.

Man Utd fans will be delighted

News that the club’s hierarchy are believed to be making progress in sealing the Argentine tactician’s services will leave fans feeling delighted.

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Throughout his five-and-a-half-year stay at Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino established the north London outfit as a fearsome force, both domestically and in Europe.

Although he was unable to win a major trophy with Spurs, he achieved a points per game record of 1.84, achieved four consecutive top-four finishes and reached the 2019 Champions League final, all while not spending a vast sum of money.

And Pochettino’s proposed move back to English football is one that makes sense for several reasons.

The South American is believed to be unhappy in Paris despite winning the French Cup last season and establishing an 11-point gap at the top of Ligue 1 after just 14 fixtures.

His lack of control of team affairs, unbalanced squad and the multiple dominating egos in his first-team setup are thought to be the reasons why Pochettino is so open to taking over the United hot seat after less than a year in charge of PSG.

Whether the Red Devils’ chiefs are able and wanting to make a move for Pochettino remains to be seen, but he would surely be a popular choice amongst the fanbase due to his attacking style, track record with blooding youngsters and reaching the Champions League spots with great regularity.