Mauricio Pochettino is a leading candidate to be the new Manchester United manager and the Paris Saint-Germain coach would be open to the move, GOAL has learned.
United announced on Sunday that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been sacked after a string of disappointing results and that Michael Carrick would be taking charge of the team on a temporary basis.
The club are then expected to hire an interim coach until the end of the season before appointing a manager for the long term next summer who can take them forward.
What do we know?
United have been long-term admirers of Pochettino and considered bringing the former Tottenham boss to Old Trafford in 2019 in the summer after Jose Mourinho was sacked. However, Solskjaer’s impressive run landed him the job on a permanent basis.
United’s interest has never really gone away but they have had no need to act because they were happy with the job the Norwegian was doing and Pochettino joined PSG, where he is currently the manager.
It is understood that Pochettino would be open to a move should United make a formal approach. GOAL also understands that the PSG boss has a good relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson which could be key in him making any decision to leave France.
Pochettino's relationship with PSG sporting director Leonardo is not the best and it is also understood that he wants to be at a club where he would have a lot of power in the decision-making process.
What next for Man Utd?
They play Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night when Carrick will take charge of the team. Following that they face Chelsea in the Premier League at the weekend.
It is not yet clear when they plan to hire an interim manager and how many games Carrick will be in charge for.
Who else is in the frame?
Plenty of names are currently being thrown into the mix on a long and short-term basis, with former United defender Laurent Blanc one of the people being tipped to take over on an interim basis.
Zinedine Zidane is out of work but United sources have tried to distance themselves from those links and it is understood the Frenchman isn’t open to the move either.
Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has also been mentioned and was asked about a potential move on Sunday.
Ten Hag told ESPN: "You keep asking me this. It is a weird question. I [have] heard nothing about it, so I can't think about it."
