Mauricio Pochettino has let it be known that he wants to be considered for the vacant Manchester United manager’s job as Michael Carrick takes temporary charge of the club.
Carrick, the former United midfielder, will manage the club for the first time in a crucial Champions League tie at Villarreal on Tuesday night following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday.
But he has only been designated an interim, with United planning to appoint a more established manager until the end of the season when a permanent choice will be made.
Paris Saint-Germain’s former Tottenham manager Pochettino has pre-empted that tortuous process, however, by letting it new known he is open to an approach to become Solskjaer’s successor now.
Sources have confirmed that Pochettino has struggled to deal with the politics involved at PSG and dealing with a dressing room that features monster personalities – and egos – in Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Coincidentally, Pochettino arrives in Manchester on Tuesday, preparing for PSG’s vital Champions League group game at City the following day.
Defeat for the French side could leave qualification for the next stage in jeopardy and, in any case, indications are that Pochettino might not last beyond the summer unless he delivers Europe’s biggest prize to his Qatari owners.
With Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers also known to be in United’s thoughts, the ball is now in their court as they try to extricate themselves from the mess left by the spectacular collapse of the team under Solskjaer.
Analysis: Pochettino would be a step in the right direction for Manchester United
By Daniel Storey, i chief football writer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was wholly unfit for the task of long-term elite coach – that was clear to many painfully early on – but he was a useful human shield for the mess that sits above him. It’s like when a small child promises to tidy their room and then places a large soft toy in front of the cupboard to stop the detritus spilling out onto the floor. Solskjaer smiled a lot, talked about positive vibes on demand and was friendly on a Zoom call. To Manchester United’s hierarchy, that was uniquely helpful.
That game is now up for Manchester United. On the pitch, they have quickly learned that shiny new toys do good numbers for the brand but do not a cohesive system make. Their finances remain healthy, buoyed by historic strength and a global fanbase, but cannot persevere forever if the team isn’t winning. It is, to be blunt, time to get someone in as manager who really knows what they are doing (sorry Ole) but won’t fall out with everyone in the process of doing it (sorry Jose). Step forward Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino has been here before. He was Manchester United’s initial first choice to replace Mourinho, before they became bewitched by the notion that an effective interim manager could become a Fergie-lite sovereign. Pochettino made no secret of his desire to manage United then and he’s apparently making little secret of that desire now. For Manchester United, this would represent a move back in the right direction.
Carrick insisted he had been given no indication of how long he would be asked to continue in the role.
Solskjaer addressed the players on what Carrick and Harry Maguire, the United captain, said was an emotional day, before preparations began for the Villarreal game.
Carrick avoided offering an assessment of where things had gone wrong this season but Maguire insisted the players must shoulder responsibility for the poor results.
“I think in football you go through ups and downs, you look at the players now at this club and you would probably speak to them and they would say it’s the toughest time of their career at club level, so we know it hasn’t been good enough,” Maguire said.
“The recent performances haven’t been good enough we haven’t been delivering individually or collectively, and when you are not doing it collectively the results pay the price and it has snowballed from one thing to another.”
Carrick offered his thanks to Solskjaer but insisted his focus was now on Villarreal.
“I have clear plans in my own mind of what we want to do and how we want to go about it and I’m looking forward to seeing it on the pitch,” Carrick said.
“It’s a challenge, of course it is. There’s a responsibility here. I don’t take that lightly in any way. I’m just throwing myself into doing everything I can.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3cCBEYV
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