Mauricio Pochettino believed until recently that he would still be elbow to elbow with Erik ten Hag for the Manchester United manager’s spot next season. But the Red Devils, who formalized the arrival of the Dutchman on Thursday, had already made their choice for several weeks… without informing the Paris Saint-Germain coach.
Pochettino is under contract with PSG until 2023
Erik ten Hag will be the manager of Manchester United next season. The arrival of the Ajax Amsterdam coach, who had been expected for several days, was confirmed on Thursday by the club from Mancunian (read here† And the day after this formalization, The Athletic tells the backstage of the file.
MU had chosen for Ten Hag Pochettino without warning
In particular, the English media tell us that Mauricio Pochettino, the other favorite for the succession to Ralf Rangnick, did not live particularly well recently learning that Ten Hag had become MU’s favorite candidate. Indeed, the current PSG coach thought he was still well placed against the Dutchman, so the Red Devils, impressed during talks with the Dutch technician, had finally turned their attention to the latter in recent weeks.
As Pochettino waited for an answer, Old Trafford residents are said to have been in frequent contact with Ten Hag to discuss his future staff and his long-term vision for the club. The Lancers coach was even invited to a big meeting with the owners of Man U, the Glazer family, as the two sides were on the same page. Manchester United had clearly already chosen Ten Hag. And the leaders planned to give his opponent a brief warning before announcing his appointment.
Pochettino’s surprise
Problem, the information got to the media much earlier than expected by the decision makers in Mancun. When he heard about the course of the Ten Hag case, the Argentinian had not yet heard that he was no longer really in the race. Poche was therefore totally surprised, having learned about the city of Manchester, the infrastructure of the club and the players of the team to prepare for his arrival.
This could explain Pochettino’s recent change in discourse about his future in Paris. Earlier this week, the former Tottenham coach announced his desire for a ?? revenge next season after the disappointment of being eliminated from the knockout stage of the Champions League. While recalling that he still had a one-year contract. Just to send the message to his management that they will have to put his hand in the wallet to part with it now that he has no other concrete option for next season.
Do you think Manchester United made the right choice by choosing Ten Hag over Pochettino? Don’t hesitate to comment and discuss in the area Add a comment †
