Mauricio Pochettino has edged ahead of Erik ten Hag for the Manchester United permanent manager job, as it is revealed that the Argentine is likely to be relieved of his duties with Paris Saint-Germain, come the summer.
PSG have been maintaining contact with Zinedine Zidane since November and are keen on bringing him in the summer if the Frenchman is willing to return to management.
I'm told that Zidane would be open to the move, due to his excellent relationship with PSG's owners.
PSG officials do not believe Pochettino has the steely mindset to manage the big egos at the club, including the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.
The French giants don't believe that Pochettino has the capabilities to win PSG the trophy they so desperately want: The UEFA Champions League.
They were embarrassingly knocked out of the Coupe de France at home to OGC Nice on 31 January 2022, losing 6-5 on penalties, and this triggered the officials and executives at PSG to start drawing up serious contingency plans, so they can be ready to potentially sack Pochettino in the summer.
A lot comes down to how well he can do in the Champions League, with anything except going all the way, likely to be recognized by the board as a complete failure.
The Manchester United owners and officials have always liked Pochettino, and were close to appointing him when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was about to be sacked in November 2020.
However the move never materialized, and they made a brave effort to try and pry him out of PSG mid-season when Solskjaer was officially sacked, last November.
Pochettino then heard the news and was more than happy to leave PSG mid-season and come to Manchester, leaking it out through his agent, that he has always idolized the Manchester United job as his 'dream' role, and was keen to return to living in England.
However, PSG played hardball, and Manchester United were unable to buy him out of his contract.
This summer could present Manchester United with the clearest opportunity to date, to secure Pochettino's services, and if he is to be let go by PSG, it is hard to see Manchester United let the opportunity pass by.
Despite this, there is a divide within the club, as a small section of the club hierarchy and the current interim coach/future advisor Ralf Rangnick, would prefer Erik ten Hag to arrive in the summer, and he is slowly but steadily gaining the liking of more and more people at the club, but a large part of the board, including Sir Alex Ferguson, prefer Pochettino.
Which side of the divide will prosper? We'll have to wait and see.
As things stand currently (in February), Pochettino is still slightly ahead of Erik ten Hag in terms of likelihood for the role, but come the summer, the scenario could change if the Dutch manager manages to go on another Champions League run.
With Ajax having a favourable Round of 16 tie against Benfica, you could certainly see it happening.
Who will Manchester United pick? Who would you pick? Let us know in the comments over on our socials!
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