Pochettino to leave PSG for Man Utd? Don’t rule it out
Robin Bairner
- 27 Oct 2021 08:34 CDT
- 3 min read
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino is one of those names linked with replacing Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
This may come as something of a surprise given that Pochettino has been in Paris less than a year and boasts one of the most impressive squads in world football, yet it is not as far-fetched a prospect as it may seem.
Indeed, even if Antonio Conte is top of Man Utd’s shortlist, Pochettino is also a coach worthy of consideration.
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Pochettino’s PSG problems
For a start, not everything is rosy at PSG. Pochettino might have led his side to a commanding lead in Ligue 1, picking up 11 wins in 14 matches in all competitions along the way, but the performances of his side have been poor.
Indeed, after Sunday’s scoreless draw with Marseille, renewed doubts were raised over the Argentine’s suitability of the role as his side looked utterly disjointed.
“There are a lot of positive things,” Pochettino said in the aftermath, frustrating fans. “The team was solid, they showed character and organisation with and without the ball. I can only congratulate my players for what they did today.”
With no clear style or philosophy, many supporters are wondering just where exactly this team are going.
Questions must also be raised over PSG’s faith in the coach over a long period. He is under contract until only 2023. An 18-month deal hardly screams stability and security, two things that Pochettino has thrived upon earlier in his coaching career.
Is a Man Utd move really on?
Pochettino, meanwhile, remains an attractive proposition for Man Utd. Indeed, there are many fans who believe that the club should have acted to appoint him during his period without work, from November 2019 until January 2021.
His philosophy of football fits that of the Old Trafford side and he has previously enjoyed relative success with Tottenham in the Premier League.
But there are key issues that mean he is likely to elude Man Utd for now.
Firstly, he does not yet appear to be in sufficient crisis at PSG to depart the club. Of course, it is an evolving situation that could rapidly change with poor results before the November international break, but no separation appears imminent.
Secondly, he would find himself with a similarly disjointed group of players that he has at Parc des Princes. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, is ill suited to playing his favoured pressing game, giving him the same problems he already has in Paris. With this being the case, why risk a move?
Pochettino to Man Utd certainly has some attraction, but Solskjaer is likely to have to hang on for a few weeks yet to make it a major possibility. For now, though, it is something that cannot be discounted entirely.
