Mauricio Pochettino 'Enchanted' by Prospect of Managing Manchester United
By Adam Aladay
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remains keen to become the next Manchester United manager, with the pressure continuing to mount on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Pochettino was sacked by Spurs last month after a poor start to the season, with former United boss José Mourinho immediately brought in to replace him. However, he remains a highly respected coach and has already been linked with numerous high-profile jobs across Europe.
The 47-year-old has insisted that he is already ready to return to management, claiming: "There are a lot of clubs and attractive projects for me to take on... It is my intention to return to manage in Europe."
One club Pochettino has been heavily linked with for numerous months is Manchester United. The Manchester Evening News are now reporting that the ex-Spurs boss 'wants to become' the next United manager, with the pressure increasing on current boss Solskjaer.
The report goes on to state that the Argentine 'remains enchanted' by the prospect of managing the Old Trafford side.
However, other recent reports have revealed that Pochettino would have to refund Tottenham the £12.5m compensation payoff he received when he left the club last month should he take another job in the Premier League this season. This may act as a hindrance in any potential deal, with both the Red Devils and Arsenal linked with him.
Nonetheless, the MEN report indicates that Pochettino is still keen on a move. To that end, 90min revealed towards the end of November that he was 'gutted' that he was overlooked for the United job following the dismissal of then-manager Mourinho, with the club opting, in the end, to instead go with Solskjaer after he made a fine start to life as caretaker boss.
More recently, it has been reported that Man Utd's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward 'likes' the former Southampton manager. As for Solskjaer, he has reportedly warned his squad that poor performances in the club's next two matches could lead to him getting sacked.