Paul Merson has explained why Manchester United might be facing a lose-lose situation with their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine did impressive work during his time at Tottenham and makes sense as a priority candidate to turn things around at Man Utd, but Merson is unsure the pursuit of this particular managerial candidate is going to work out for the Red Devils.
PSG seem unlikely to let Pochettino leave in the middle of the season, and the manager’s situation could look quite different by the end of the campaign.
Merson points out that if the former Spurs boss doesn’t win the Champions League with PSG, it raises questions about his qualities, while if he does go on to guide the French giants to the trophy, they surely won’t be letting him go.
“If Pochettino doesn’t win the Champions League with PSG, Man Utd fans are going to be asking that question: why do we want Pochettino? He’s got a squad of players at PSG who are some of the best in the world and you haven’t won the Champions League?” Merson told Sky Sports.
“And if you do [win the Champions League] and PSG do it for the first time ever, if you’re PSG you want to keep him there to dominate Champions League football for the next three, four years.”
Merson adds that he’s also unconvinced by Ralf Rangnick as an interim option, pointing out that he lacks experience in such a big job.
“I’m hearing people going how great he is – but he’s never managed in England, he’s never managed one of the top teams in the world. Why is that? Why has no one else come in for him when managers have been up?” Merson said.
“I hear great things about him, people saying he’s going to press and he’s hard working and he’s turned lesser teams into real contenders. But that’s a lot different, getting a Schalke or a Hoffenheim to a certain stage.
“When you’re asked to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world and they already have superstars and you’ve got to make them play… it’s all right at Schalke and Hoffenheim because they’re going to listen and they want to get there. These [United] players are there and you have got to get them to go again.
“I think this is going to be difficult, this is going to be a lot harder than what people think.
“What I’m hearing is it’s like a gimme, he’ll come in and that will be it. That Man Utd are lucky. I’m not sure about that.”