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As Manchester United's hunt for their new permanent manager continues, the names of several top managers have been thrown into the mix. Recent reports have claimed that the Red Devils have interviewed multiple candidates, including Ajax's Erik ten Hag. Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand, however, believes that PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino would impress the decision-makers at Old Trafford if he is interviewed for the position.
Manchester United have been linked with several reputed managers, including the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, and Luis Enrique, among others. The general belief among the club's fans is that Ajax boss Erik ten Hag should be the leading candidate to take over from Ralf Rangnick after the ongoing season.
However, Rio Ferdinand - who recently spent a considerable amount of time with PSG's Mauricio Pochettino - believes that the Argentine will almost certainly impress those at the club who are in a position to make the final decision if he is interviewed for the managerial position. Speaking on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand backed Pochettino to excel in an interview and said:
"I spent a bit of time with him and he really impressed me as a person. Him and his staff are men of detail and I would see him thrive and really flourish in an interview, if they are going to do the interview process.
"I think he would impress the hierarchy and decision makers at Old Trafford if they had him in front of them. He certainly impressed me. We had good football conversations and he is a good football man.
Ferdinand further praised Pochettino for his previous managerial efforts at Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.
"His time at Spurs, by the way, I always said that he never won anything," Ferdinand said. "But if you look at the budget he had compared to everybody else, his budget was low; he was working on a shoestring budget almost, compared to other people at that time.
"They were overachieving, bearing in mind what they were spending. I liked the team, and the Southampton team, because they were aggressive and were on the front foot, but by the end of his tenure at Spurs it wasn't that same team."
Rio Ferdinand dismisses Manchester United fans' doubts about Mauricio Pochettino
Although Mauricio Pochettino is undeniably a great manager, his lack of success at Tottenham Hotspur and now PSG has created doubts among Manchester United fans about how he would fare at Old Trafford.
Notably, Pochettino failed to get PSG past Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League this season, as the most coveted prize in European football continues to elude the French giants.
However, Ferdinand came to Pochettino's rescue and explained that the Argentine manager isn't the only one who has failed to taste UEFA Champions League glory with PSG. He said:
"What manager has got them going? What manager has been able to get the superstars going in the latter stages of that tournament, the Champions League?
"They haven't, they've not been able to get it done. So he is not on his own. [Thomas] Tuchel didn't get it done."
