Mauricio Pochettino to Man Utd? Tottenham axe heaps further pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United’s mini run could not have come at a better time for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The true test of the Old Trafford hierarchy’s faith in the Norwegian was always going to be linked with Mauricio Pochettino – the overwhelming first choice to succeed the sacked Jose Mourinho last December.

Only Solskjaer’s outstanding caretaker reign prompted a dramatic rethink from United owners the Glazers and executive vice chairman Ed Woodward – but they remain huge admirers of the ex-Tottenham manager.

Pochettino’s availability after being sacked by Spurs last night places further pressure on Solskjaer’s position.

Mauricio Pochettino's managerial career

Soccer Aid 2023
1/21

Just as Woodward couldn’t take the risk of letting the out-of-work Mourinho be snapped up by a rival during the last months of Louis van Gaal’s United reign – the prospect of Pochettino taking up another job will be a serious concern.

But there is a determination to give Solskjaer time to prove he is the man to lead United back to the summit of English football.

His vision, and strength of character are seen as qualities that will give him every chance of succeeding where David Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho failed. And a run of five wins out his last six games has made Woodward’s recent vote of confidence ring a lot less hollow.

It’s worth remembering United were never put off by the notion of paying out the remainder of Pochettino’s contract to prise him away from Spurs.

They appointed Solskjaer because they genuinely believed he was the right man to end six years of decline post-Sir Alex Ferguson.

And even during Solskjaer’s lowest ebb, during a torrid start to this season, the faith in him remained.

But Pochettino’s shadow will loom large over Old Trafford for as long as the Argentine remains an easy fall-back option.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in