Manchester United manager target Mauricio Pochettino once said his ‘dream’ was to coach Real Madrid. Pochettino helped Paris Saint-Germain overcome Los Blancos in the first leg of the clubs’ Champions League last-16 tie but could end up in the Bernabeu’s home dugout one day.
Man Utd-linked Mauricio Pochettino has previously said his 'dream' would be to manage Real Madrid (Image: GETTY)
But the 49-year-old has previously expressed his desire to manage Real Madrid. Pochettino might get his wish with Real Madrid said to be considering firing Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, something that would deal a big blow to United's hopes of landing him.
"I don't know if I'll ever coach Madrid, but of course it's my dream,” Pochettino told Marca in 2020.
"If it's not the best it's one of the best clubs in the world. I'm no different, everyone has it on their dream list."
Pochettino’s PSG side were brilliant in their 1-0 win over Real. Kylian Mbappe’s excellent solo goal won the game for the Parisians in added time and handed them an advantage going into the second leg at the Bernabeu.
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The performance was so good that Real president Florentino Perez is now considering Pochettino as a possible replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, according to the Independent.
Perez is reportedly furious at Ancelotti for his side’s performance. He felt that Luka Modric and Toni Kroos saw too little of the ball in midfield.
It means United could enter a battle with Los Blancos if they want to appoint Pochettino.
The Argentine has long been linked with the Old Trafford outfit, even going back beyond Solskjaer’s appointment in 2018.
Pochettino earned a reputation as one of the world’s top coaches during his Spurs spell, in which the north Londoners twice seriously challenged for the Premier League title and reached the Champions League Final.
Man Utd seem unlikely to offer Ralf Rangnick the permanent manager's job (Image: GETTY)
Rangnick, though, poured cold water on rumours linking Pochettino to United.
“I have no idea,” the German said a fortnight ago.
“My full focus is on training the group right now, we have games coming up in three different competitions, I couldn’t give any reasonable answer to that question.
“My focus is on the next couple of games, weeks and months, to be as successful as we can be.”