PSG row could push Mauricio Pochettino to Manchester United

Growing friction between Mauricio Pochettino and Paris St-Germain’s sporting director Leonardo could open the door for Manchester United to swoop for the former Tottenham manager.

Pochettino is believed to be willing to quit PSG for Old Trafford amid rising tensions in the French capital should the Manchester giants settle on the Argentine as their preferred choice to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United have been busy drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates to replace Solskjaer on an interim and permanent basis and the prospect of a return to the Premier League and England, where his family live, appeals to Pochettino.

PSG are not believed to have any plans to move Pochettino on, and neither has he told them he wants to leave, but there is an uneasy relationship with Leonardo and that could yet play into United’s hands in their hunt for a pedigree manager.

PSG will attempt to establish Pochettino’s intentions in the coming days but not before PSG’s Champions League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. The fact that he is living in a hotel in Paris while his family remain in London has not made efforts to settle in France any easier although sources close to him have played this down suggesting the bigger issue is how the club operates.

Despite PSG being 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, the owners’ priority is to win the Champions League and the pressure to deliver that trophy only intensified last summer after Lionel Messi’s arrival from Barcelona.

Michael Carrick has been placed in temporary charge following Solskjaer’s sacking and will oversee his first game in Spain on Tuesday night when United face Villarreal in the Champions League knowing victory would guarantee their place in the knockout rounds and provide some brief respite after a tumultuous few days.

“Whether it's one game or two games [I’m in charge], or whether it's a little stretch longer than that, right now I'm not too sure and that's not something that's on my mind - it's all about [Villarreal],” Carrick said. “The biggest thing for the fans, for everyone, is the result.”

'I’m sure Pochettino would love the job'

United said in their statement confirming Solskjaer’s exit on Sunday that they would look to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season but they will move to appoint a permanent replacement much sooner if the right candidate becomes available.

Erik ten Hag, the Ajax coach, said he had heard “nothing” about the United job although it is believed he would be another interested party if it was on offer. However, he is not expected to be available until the end of the season.

Brendan Rodgers, the Leicester manager, and Zinedine Zidane, the former Real Madrid coach, and Gareth Southgate, the England manager, have also been heavily linked with the post.

United’s interest in Pochettino dates back as far as 2016, before he signed a new contract with Tottenham, and he was thought to be the frontrunner to replace Jose Mourinho before the Old Trafford hierarchy opted to give the job full-time to Solskjaer in March 2019 after a successful spell as interim.

There is not expected to be any repeat of that with Carrick but it is not clear at this stage if Pochettino would United’s first choice to take over from Solskjaer.

Harry Redknapp, the former Tottenham manager, said he believed Pochettino wanted to live in England and would “love” the United job, even if he hinted that his failure to win a trophy during a five and a half year spell at Spurs could be one factor that counts against him.

“Pochettino, I’m sure he’d love the job,” Redknapp said. “But Poch had five good years at Tottenham and didn't win a trophy, as good as he was. I’m sure it is a job that anybody would jump at - to manage Man United, one of the biggest clubs in the world. Absolutely. I’m sure he would [want it]. His family are still in England, he obviously wants to live in England now. Without a doubt. You can’t turn Man United down, it’s an incredible job.”

'It’s all reactive. Nothing is prepped'

The pressure to appoint a new manager is only likely to intensify if United’s slide continues this week against Villarreal and Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Watford that spelled the end for Solskjaer was their seventh defeat in 13 matches.

The Old Trafford hierarchy are hoping Carrick can buy them some time, and a draw will be good enough to secure progression to the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday evening should Atalanta fail to beat Young Boys. But Rio Ferdinand claimed it was “embarrassing” the club find themselves in this situation.

“All of a sudden, the game happens and we lose, and the club make a decision,” the former United defender said. “It’s all reactive. Nothing is prepped. Even the management situation, surely you look at this before.

“You identify a certain candidate and know. It's almost like, ‘Oh, this result has happened, we're going to sack Ole, now we look for someone to come and take charge. We'll put an interim before the interim, and then we'll look for a manager.’

“It's actually embarrassing. You're just sitting there trying to protect the club, and you want to be positive, but I can't. Surely there's a candidate that should have been identified weeks ago because you could see what was coming? You see the club isn't performing, you have a two-week international break. It's the perfect time to start going round and identifying the next candidate.”

Harry Maguire, the United captain, said the players had to “huge responsibility” for the mess at the club and admitted that they would “probably say it’s the toughest time of their career at club level”.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has paid tribute to Solskjaer as the five-time World Player of the Year joined the chorus of United players who have bid the Norwegian a warm farewell.

Ronaldo and Solskjaer were team-mates when the Portugal forward first moved to Old Trafford in 2003 before their reunion this summer.

“He’s been my striker when I first came to Old Trafford and he’s been my coach since I came back to Man United,” Ronaldo said in a post on Instagram below a picture of him with Solskjaer. “But most of all, Ole is an outstanding human being. I wish him the best in whatever his life has reserved for him. Good luck, my friend! You deserve it!”