Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney has insisted that the club must do all they can to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their long-term manager this summer.
As noted in their official statement last month, Jose Mourinho left Old Trafford after a disappointing start to the campaign with an interim boss eyed for the rest of the season.
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That ended up being Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian tactician leading the Red Devils to six consecutive wins across all competitions since taking charge while getting them scoring goals and keeping clean sheets in a stunning turnaround.
With that in mind, a strong argument could perhaps be made that if he were to maintain this level of form for the rest of the season, then he should be in the running for the long-term post.
However, Rooney has insisted that Pochettino is the ideal candidate for United and has specifically pointed towards his work with younger players, and his ability to bring them through and develop their game to become first-team stars as being a vital ingredient to being a success at United.
“First of all you have to give Ole an opportunity and that’s a discussion that has to take place with the Glazers,” he told ESPN. “But if I had the opportunity to appoint someone, I’d go all out for Pochettino.
“United have based themselves on youth players, young players, bringing players through. I think [Pochettino] gets the best out of his players whether they are younger or older.”
Time will tell if the Argentine can be prised away from Tottenham this summer, as he has undoubtedly done a great job of leading them to consistent top-four finishes despite not having the budget to match their direct rivals.
If they are able to appoint him, then it’s difficult to disagree with Rooney’s assessment, albeit it would be harsh on Solskjaer if he does lead them to success between now and May.
