'Pochettino's the man for Utd' - Scholes wants Tottenham boss at Old Trafford

Paul Scholes believes Manchester United should be doing all they can to make Mauricio Pochettino the successor to Jose Mourinho and claims “if he wants the job then I think it’s his”.

The current Tottenham head coach has emerged as a leading contender to inherit the managerial reins at Old Trafford on a permanent basis.

United have appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in an interim role, with a former fan favourite back at the club on a rescue mission until the end of the season.

He has expressed a desire to work his way into contention for an extended stay, but various other options have been mooted.

Scholes believes there is one candidate who should be prioritised above all others, with the Red Devils legend telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "Pochettino's the man.

"If he wants the job then I think it's his.

"He carries himself brilliantly with the media and with his team.

"He promotes young players and, most importantly, he wins a lot of football matches."

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Scholes acknowledges that Pochettino has already overseen a fine job with Spurs, with there still targets for him to hit in north London, but feels it would be easier for the Argentine to fulfil his ambitions at United.

He added: "I know people say he's got a great team at Tottenham. He has.

"But can he ever really win the league with Tottenham? I'm not sure he can.

"With United, he'll have the spending power, the money and he'll be capable of winning the league.

"I think if he wants the job then he's definitely the man."

If Pochettino were to accept an offer from United, then Scholes says he will need considerable backing in the transfer market in order to bring about a reversal in fortune for a club that has regressed since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

"Confidence is obviously very low and he's going to need some new players, there's no doubt about that," said the ex-England international.

"If Pochettino comes in, he wants his players to play football and play with confidence so he'll need a couple of centre-halves who can play football and can play out from the back.

"I think he'll need a midfield player, possibly a centre-forward so you're looking at maybe three or four players. Pochettino, if he comes, will bring his experience with what he's done at Tottenham as well.

"He could make a big difference to this team."