Manchester United are analysing whether to stick with current manager Erik ten Hag or make a play for a new manager.
The scrutiny in the lead-up to the FA Cup Final intensified on Erik ten Hag by the news Chelsea had sacked Mauricio Pochettino.
This demonstrated the ruthless, and perhaps foolish, approach to ditch the manager after just one season, after failing to gain Champions League football.
It also placed a manager on the market who is highly coveted, giving Manchester United one more viable alternative to Ten Hag, for Ineos to consider.
Sir Alex Ferguson pressing Mauricio Pochettino case
HITC report that Mauricio Pochettino is the preferred choice of next Manchester United manager by club legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
It’s unclear what weight that will hold with Ineos, but it is said that Ferguson has been pressing the case for Pochettino.
Ferguson has been spotted in attendance at United games throughout the season, often sitting with investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Pochettino led Chelsea to a fifth placed finish last season and has previously managed Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Espanyol.
Sir Alex Ferguson admiration of Pochettino goes back a long way
Sir Alex Ferguson’s admiration for Mauricio Pochettino dates back to the Argentine manager’s early years as Tottenham boss.
In 2016, Tottenham MP David Lammy told The Spurs Show podcast: “I’m going to let you into a secret. About six weeks ago I sat next to Alex Ferguson at a dinner in support of grassroots football abroad.
“He said to me, ‘I think you guys have the best manager in the Premier League.’ Alex Ferguson said that.”
Ferguson then went on record a month later, quoted by Sky Sports: “The manager has been fantastic. They [Tottenham] have a bad record of managers, there is no doubt about that. They have had so many over the years.
“But this lad has composure. You never see him ruffled and the way his team play is a testimony to the work he is doing.”
Ferguson was then spotted meeting Pochettino for lunch in London, which at the time increased pressure on then boss Louis van Gaal.
At the time, Pochettino was impossible to get away from Tottenham, and United’s sights were set on Jose Mourinho.
Pochettino was consistently linked to United during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s spell as manager but the Red Devils refrained from pulling the trigger to make the change, and by time the Norwegian was sacked in 2021, Pochettino was at PSG.
A vacancy did emerge at the end of the 2021/22 season, but Manchester United elected to go with Erik ten Hag instead.
Pochettino is on record speaking highly of Ferguson too. He told Sky Sports in 2019: ” Sir Alex means football.
“Did I send best wishes when he was ill? Yes, I did. I cannot hide my admiration and relationship with him. He was one of the people I admired the most, an inspiration.
“We had a very nice lunch in London [in 2016] and since then we have kept a good relationship. We are football people.
“Has Ferguson given United a new energy? He is the best manager in the history of football. To see him every day is massive. He is an encyclopedia of football.”
Do Manchester United need Ferguson’s input in 2024
Manchester United have listened to Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice over managers before, and it did not end well.
David Moyes was proclaimed as ‘the chosen one’ after being hand-picked by Ferguson when he retired in 2013 – although whether he was actually first choice is open to debate. Moyes was sacked late into his first season.
Ferguson also steered United towards Solskjaer in 2019 as an emergency appointment. On an interim basis this was a smart move, yet it also led to him being hired permanently – and United failing to win a trophy during his tenure.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice is always worth listening to. Whether Manchester United should act on it, is open to debate. But his admiration for Pochettino is not on a whim, it is long-standing admiration.
The Times reports Pochettino is not featured prominently in United’s plans, although he was on an initial shortlist.