Why Ten Hag has been chosen ahead of Pochettino at Man Utd

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 23 Apr 2022 21:42 BST
3 min read

Mauricio Pochettino, linked with Man Utd — © ProShots

Erik ten Hag's appointment as Manchester United manager has been announced, with the Dutchman set to to take the reins at Old Trafford.

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Following the disappointing tenure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, veteran coach Ralf Rangnick was brought in on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

With Rangnick set to step into an advisory role, the search for a new manager has been going on for months.

Several names have been linked with the job, including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Enrique, Brendan Rodgers and Antonio Conte.

The front-runners, however, always seemed to be Paris Saint-German boss Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag.

In fact, for the majority of the season, Pochettino was Man Utd's number one target.

The Argentine has been linked with United for years, and was considered as manager twice - once when David Moyes was sacked and once when Louis van Gaal was sacked.

In the end, he remained at Spurs before eventually joining his former club PSG.

Man Utd conducted a series of interviews for the manager's job, and it was Ten Hag who was apparently the most impressive, as Manchester Evening News reports that the Dutchman "blew away" the club with his ideas and plans.

Pochettino, meanwhile, didn't enjoy as positive an interview.

Erik ten Hag, Ajax, 2021-22 — © ProShots

One of the main reasons that Ten Hag is being selected ahead of Pochettino is that the latter allegedly demanded a transfer warchest in order to completely overhaul the playing squad at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman, meanwhile, focused more on improving the current squad rather than insisting on a series of additions.

Pochettino would also cost significantly more to release from his contract than the £2 million that Man Utd are paying Ajax for Ten Hag.