Man United’s top target, Mauricio Pochettino, is ready to leave PSG for Old Trafford. Can they make a deal happen?

Manchester United failed to take advantage of their first chance to hire Mauricio Pochettino as manager, but they couldn’t miss their second following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday.

It will require ambition and a willingness to pay any price to get him, but sources told ESPN that Paris Saint-Germain The head coach may be tempted by the prospect of being the last to bring success to Old Trafford.

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Despite extending his contract at Parc des Princes in the summer to 2023, after an attempt by Tottenham Hotspur to replace the coach they sacked in November 2019, sources say Pochettino has yet to fully settle in at PSG since joining them in January and that United’s job is what makes him consider returning to the Premier League.

Argentinians have supporters among decision-makers in City of Manchester who, always mindful of the ultimate need to replace Pep Guardiola, considers Pochettino a potential successor to the formerBarcelona and Bayern Munich coach, whose contract expires at the end of the 2022-23 season. Real Madrid are also longtime admirers. However, the only elite club left vacant for management is United, following the departure of Solskjaer; they take a clear step in convincing the top coaches in the game to accept the challenge of reviving the self-proclaimed world’s biggest club.

United have history, financial strength and, despite what may have been nine years of setbacks since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, they are still the best-backed team in the top division in the world. world. They are a footballing superpower and, according to sources, a club that has long attracted Pochettino, who believes United have a squad of talented players who can become successful.

In the immediate future, Pochettino, 49, will travel to Manchester this week to lead PSG against Manchester City in Group A of the Champions League at the Etihad. PSG are at the top of Ligue 1, 11 points ahead of second-placed Nice and well-positioned to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Except for a string of disastrous results, Pochettino will win his first domestic championship of the season to add to the Coupe de France he won after replacing Thomas Tuchel as mid-coach last season.

Although the picture looks bright at PSG, sources say Pochettino has grown frustrated with politics at the club, both on and off the pitch, and has always had a feeling of insecurity about safety in the Premier League. his job. Attempts to impose discipline on the team proved to be a challenge, and was not helped by the PSG hierarchy. passport attitude to the so-called party culture of star players. The expected departure of Kylian Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid at the end of his contract next summer, leaving the club with an aging striker line. Neymar, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and unpredictable Mauro Icardi.

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Pochettino’s personal situation is another issue that United could use to their advantage. Eleven months after leading PSG, Pochettino continues to live in a luxury hotel in Paris while his wife remains at the couple’s home in north London. But do United want to try to prize Pochettino out of his PSG contract and pay whatever compensation the French club demand?

When United sacked Jose Mourinho in December 2018, sources revealed to ESPN that Pochettino was the top choice for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. At the time, Pochettino was being recruited by Spurs, so United appointed Solskjaer on an interim basis in hopes of negotiating a deal with Tottenham. Solskjaer’s incredible start, which saw him win 10 of his first 11 games, led to a change of plans, with the Norwegian being given the job on a permanent basis. . United gave up their pursuit of Pochettino and by the time he was sacked by Spurs, they had moved on.

However, Pochettino’s reputation for team building, trusting young players, creating exciting football and working harmoniously within the club’s football structure has long appealed to owners. Woodward and United owners, the Glazer family, and sources say Pochettino remains the preferred candidate in the corridors of power at Old Trafford. Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers is also highly rated, and potentially easier to sign, but Pochettino isn’t quite as close to what he might appear to be.

The ball is on United’s field. Now they depend on how they play it.