Within the Paris Saint Germain (PSG) dressing room, there is already a feeling that the team will have a new manager at the helm in the coming weeks. That man is likely to be French legend Zinedine Zidane. Current PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino has been courted by Manchester United for several years now, with the club rumoured to have been keen on him when Jose Mourinho departed Old Trafford.
For one reason or another, that deal was never done but, according to reports from MARCA, there is a sense that the Argentine would be prepared to jettison himself from the PSG hotseat to return to the Premier League. Pochettino’s reputation in English football speaks for itself. He turned around the fortunes of Southampton in quick fashion and led Tottenham to the Champions League final. He is a man that enjoys projects and building sustainable success over time – something that the United hierarchy see as important to try and replicate the golden years of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Why would Pochettino swap Paris for Manchester?
Pochettino’s time in the French capital has been largely lacking in excitement. He has only been at the helm for less than a year, replacing Thomas Tuchel who left Paris for Chelsea. Although he won his first league game at PSG within a week of his arrival, the rest of the 2020/21 Ligue 1 campaign did not go their way. They were pipped to the Ligue 1 title by Lille, who were crowned the surprise but deserved champions. They were then knocked out of the semi-finals of the Champions League by Manchester City and concluded the season with only a Coupe de France success to show for their efforts.
Pochettino has also found it difficult to manage the multiple egos within the PSG camp. Brazilian icon Neymar remains a huge star for PSG, while French striker Kylian Mbappe’s long-term future at the club continued to be a major topic of conversation on the terraces. The shock signing of Lionel Messi after his unceremonious exit from Barcelona also gave Pochettino another dynamic to handle in the dressing room – as did the arrival of Spanish veteran, Sergio Ramos. With so many plates to spin and success and failure at PSG increasingly measured on the club’s Champions League exploits, Pochettino may prefer the idea of rebuilding a fallen giant.
Should Pochettino be appointed at Old Trafford, you can almost guarantee there will be a renewed focus on the latest football betting odds, with the Red Devils’ Premier League and Europa League odds likely to be shortened under the tutelage of the former Spurs man.It did not take long for Pochettino to instil a winning mentality both at Southampton and Spurs. His high-pressing style of play encourages and empowers players to show bravery on and off the ball. It would surely bring out the best in the likes of Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes, with the former still yet to set Old Trafford alight since signing in the summer.
There’s also the small matter of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Red Devils’ ranks. The veteran Portuguese could be asked to be the fulcrum of the United forward line, supplied by the likes of Sancho and Greenwood.
The United hierarchy would have to fork out £8.4m to secure Pochettino from his current PSG contract, which does not expire until the summer of 2023. In his most recent press conference with PSG, ahead of their latest Champions League game, Pochettino insisted he remains “so happy” to be the PSG boss and that the rumours of United’s interest “cannot distract” from the club’s ambition to win its inaugural Champions League trophy. Whether Pochettino will be the man to lift it remains to be seen.
