It’s becoming plainly obvious that Ralf Rangnick isn’t the manager that Man United needs to completely overhaul the club this summer, but it’s still hard to figure out who’s capable of sorting out this mess, never mind actually convincing them to take the role.
One name that won’t go away is Mauricio Pochettino – He’s still highly thought of after the good work he did at Spurs, his teams tend to play attractive football and after PSG’s Champions League collapse against Real Madrid, he should be available.
It would be such an interesting appointment because he has a proven body of work in the Premier League, but he’s also struggling to create a team rather than a group of individuals in Paris, and it’s the exact problem he’ll encounter at Old Trafford too.
It’s pretty reasonable to think that he’ll be looking for a job this summer and he might be the best candidate to replace Rangnick, and we’re seeing a lot of reaction on Twitter tonight to suggest this makes too much sense, albeit not for the reasons that United fans might want:
Tonight Pochettino proved he is ready to join the post Ferguson Manchester United.
— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) March 9, 2022
Tears Pochettino’s going to get sacked and United will go for him over 10/10 Hag because he’s the cheaper option.
Club’s so cheap and predictable ?
— ?Ellis. (@EIIisV3) March 9, 2022
Pochettino looking more and more like a Manchester United manager ? pic.twitter.com/ibDr4RMZrc
— FUN88 (@fun88eng) March 9, 2022
Pochettino is a FRAUD; football Swindler if you may! Serial bottler!
He is just perfect for Manchester United ? #RMAPSG pic.twitter.com/OJKIzYRdoN— Chidi ? ?? (@chinwetal) March 9, 2022
pochettino at united with maguire as captain seems like a match made in heaven
— George (@GheorgheWright) March 9, 2022
United have cycled through so many managers with different styles that the squad still lacks a clear identity or direction, so the reality is that any new manager is going to need time to actually put their stamp on the team and clear out the deadwood in the squad.
It might be unkind to suggest that Pochettino has just demonstrated that he’s perfect for this current version of Man United, but it’s pretty easy to see it happening in the summer.