Pochettino hints at replacing Ten Hat at Man Utd with ‘matter of timing’ claim
Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that he could yet have another chance to be appointed Manchester United boss – after missing out on the role to Erik ten Hag.
The Argentine has been linked with the post on a number of occasions in the past, most recently in the summer as the Red Devils attempted to find a permanent successor for former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He was beaten to the punch by former Ajax head coach Ten Hag and then subsequently lost his job with French giants Paris Saint-Germain despite having claimed the Ligue 1 title; Christophe Galtier having been appointed as his successor at the Parc des Princes.
Speaking with Radio Marca, Pochettino has revealed that the timing was a huge reason behind his failure in earning the job but suggested that circumstances could be different should the opportunity arise at some point in the future.
The former Spurs boss said: “Football is timing. It’s the moments for it to coincide and for that marriage to happen. Sometimes it’s just a matter of timing. I don’t believe that trains pass just once.”
Intriguingly, Pochettino’s latest hint is the first time that he has spoken about the Old Trafford hot-seat since being beaten to the punch by Ten Hag. Former Red Devils defender Gary Neville previously suggested that he would have been an excellent appointment at Old Trafford, but negotiations with PSG might have been terminal to his chances of taking the reins.
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Speaking to Sky Sports in the summer, he said: “I think ultimately Pochettino has been the outstanding choice for a number of years. Losing in the Champions League this season, not winning the league in France last year…
“Let’s be clear, PSG is not an easy club to manage. Thomas Tuchel had problems over there. Tuchel wasn’t the statesman like figure he has been at Chelsea at PSG.
“So I think purely what has happened with Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain has cost him. He’s got great experience of the Premier League, he did a brilliant job at Southampton and Tottenham.
“But the current mood is absolutely key and Ten Hag is the man of the moment. Look, United have spoken to both of them and the club have determined that Erik ten Hag is the right man to take the club forward.”
It remains to be seen if the Man Utd role becomes vacant any time soon. Ten Hag penned a three-year contract at Old Trafford with the option for a further season and has enjoyed a relatively productive first campaign with the Red Devils.
United currently sit fifth in the Premier League ahead of the enforced break for the World Cup in Qatar, whilst they managed to get out of their Europa League group but now face a testing play-off against Spanish giants Barcelona.
