Mauricio Pochettino had hoped to take Harry Maguire to Tottenham, says Danny Rose, with the former Spurs boss having been “all over” a commanding centre-half long before Manchester United put a record-breaking £80 million ($97m) deal in place.
The England international became the most expensive defender in world football when making a switch to Old Trafford in the summer of 2019.
That move was made from Leicester, with the Foxes having acquired the 27-year-old from Hull City two years earlier.
It was during Maguire’s time with the Tigers that he first started to register on the radar of those further up the Premier League food chain, with Pochettino spotting his potential early.
Spurs were, however, to opt against following up on the interest of their manager, with the path left clear for domestic rivals to benefit from the obvious ability of a man who now dons the captain’s armband at Old Trafford.
Rose told The Lockdown Tactics podcast of his England colleague: “I remember we played Hull at White Hart Lane [in December 2016] and we won 3-0.
“Mauricio was manager and the gaffer was all over Harry. I think they [Tottenham] were in for him.
“Once Poch took a liking to him I started to notice him straight away after that. It’s been a great journey for him.
“Training with him for England, you couldn’t get the ball off him. He’s so good. He fully deserves to be Manchester United captain.”
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Another Harry now being heavily linked with a move to United is England captain Kane, with the prolific frontman conceding that personal ambition may lead him away from north London.
Rose hopes Spurs can retain the services of a prized asset, with it vital that they bring a long wait for major silverware to a close.
The 29-year-old left-back, who is currently on loan at Newcastle, added on Kane: “With Harry, we all hope his goals and his performances will merit a trophy one way or another during his career, but Tottenham means the world to him.
“We know that and when you see him disappointed, it's just one of those things that when you're on Harry's team in training you win. It's not a coincidence.
“You just don't want to be on a losing side when you're on Harry's side, even in training. He's got that aura that you want to do the best you can.”
