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According to reports, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Mauricio Pochettino is willing to leave the club midway through the season to join Manchester United.
Pochettino has been touted as the ideal Manchester United manager multiple times in recent months. He was first choice to replace Solskjaer after the 6-1 mauling at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur last season.
Pochettino reportedly harbors the ambition of becoming the manager at Old Trafford and is unsettled at PSG. This is because of the continuous pressure and problems related to getting their forward stars playing together in the same team. Additionally, Pochettino’s family is still settled in London and the Argentine tactician is reportedly keen to return to England.
Sir Alex Ferguson and most of the Old Trafford faithful will be delighted by the potential appointment of Mauricio Pochettino. However, prising him away from Paris in the middle of the season might prove to be a very difficult task.
PSG are currently 11 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table and are second in their UEFA Champions League group behind Manchester City. The club’s owners have no pressing need to replace Pochettino despite the criticism he has received from the French media.
Manchester United’s first choice Mauricio Pochettino willing to leave PSG immediately - but at what cost?
Before his stint at PSG, Mauricio Pochettino spent almost six years with Tottenham Hotspur. During this time, he built multiple fantastic teams but did not win a single trophy. Pochettino had to operate under a shoestring budget and was dealing with one of football’s most notorious club chairmen, Daniel Levy.
Now at PSG, Pochettino has arguably the most-stacked offensive lineup in football history as well as more financial freedom. So far, combining the strengths of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar has proved to be a challenging task. However, it is one that no world-class manager will want to shy away from.
Pochettino recently spoke about his struggles with managing PSG's high-profile stars as well. He claimed that apart from playing them together, managing the followers, entourages and families of these superstars has also proved to be a challenge.
Manchester United might mean similar problems to an extent for Pochettino. Cristiano Ronaldo still believes he is the best player in the world, while Paul Pogba is reportedly looking to become the highest paid footballer at Old Trafford.
However, at PSG, Pochettino has a team that looks comprehensively closer to contending for honors than at Manchester United. While winning trophies might not be a pressing desire considering his age, the Argentinian simply has no reason to leave PSG, that too in the middle of the season.
Pochettino might harbor a desire to manage Manchester United one day. However, he is only 49 and will likely get another chance to do so. Moreover, at PSG, he has an opportunity and a squad that most world-class managers can only dream of.
