Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's recent dismissal at Man United remains the big talking point, with the Red Devils finally sacking the Norwegian boss on Sunday after suffering yet another embarrassing defeat, this time going 4-1 down at Watford in Matchweek 12.
The club icon bid an honorable and classy farewell, with the focus now shifting to the search for his replacement. The Red Devils announced that Michael Carrick has taken over in a caretaker role until an interim boss is hired to see out the remainder of the 2021/22 campagin.
However, according to the Daily Mail, a change of plan could be on the horizon as one of Man United's most admired candidates has suddenly emerged as a possibility. That man is none other than Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham head coach who is currently in charge of French giants PSG.
The Argentine is highly thought of by the Theatre of Dreams higher-ups. Despite this, no contact has been made with the South American as Man United have been under the impression that it would be impossible to land him in the middle of the season.
However, the British news outlet claims that there is a possibility of prising Pochettino away from the Ligue 1 heavyweight as the coach himself is said to be open to the idea. The reason is simple: while Pochettino isn't pushing for a Parc des Princes exit, the Argentine is also not fully content with life in Paris
There are a number of contributing factors. First of all, Mauricio has openly admitted to desiring a return to the Premier League. The 49-year-old spent six years managing in the Premier League, having spent time at Southampton prior to his move to north London, and is thus more accustomed to life in England. Additionally, he is living in a hotel in the French capital, with his family being miles apart as they chose to remain in London.
Then there are the circumstances of being a PSG boss. The Argentine is nothing more than a head coach, with sporting director Leonardo handling everything else, namely the recruitment. At Tottenham, Poch had a bigger say in the club affairs and that would likely be true should he take over at Man United.
There is also the issue of PSG's star-studded lineup and all the challenges that come with having to juggle the egos of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and the newly-signed Lionel Messi. At Southampton and Tottenham, the Argentine did not have to contend with such egos.
Pochettino will reportedly not force a PSG exit but a move to Old Trafford could be a win-win situation as that would free Les Parisiens to sign Zinedine Zidane, who they admire heavily. It should be noted, however, than Mauricio is not the only candidate as Erik Ten Hag has also made it onto Man United's shortlist. Unfortunately, the highly-rated Ajax coach will not be available until next summer, at the very least, hence the recent links with Laurent Blanc and Steve Bruce as short-term managers for the remainder of the season.
