Manchester United's club executives have already had discussions with Pochettino earlier this week about becoming the club's next manager, and last week Ajax boss Tenhag also held an interview, and Manchester United completed the first round of contact with manager candidates.
Manchester United's new president, Richard Arnold, is keen to keep more options open and find the right manager in the market to bring the club back to the top. Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has been a favorite of some members of United's board, including Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 50-year-old Argentine faces a sack from Greater Paris this summer as the team was reversed by Real Madrid in the Champions League, and Pochettino knew his time in Paris could be coming to an end. If they choose to hire Uncle Bo, United will wait until the end of the season, waiting for Paris Saint-Germain to sack him, rather than the club paying for the breach.
After the retirement of Sir Fleuri, the successive managers invited by Manchester United basically did not have to pay the severance payment, Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho all transferred to Manchester United on their own, and only when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge, Manchester United paid low compensation to Norway Molde. The Red Devils could have been exempt from having to pay as the manager's contract stipulated that he would be unconditionally allowed to coach Manchester United, but in gratitude to Manchester United for giving Molde a symbolic severance payment of £500,000.
Alexander-Arnold hopes a new Manchester United manager will be in place in early June so that the team's transfer targets can be finalised and summer training starts planning, including next month's match against rivals Liverpool in Bangkok. Pochettino, who will win Ligue 1 this season and led Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019, has told Manchester United he is eager to coach the Red Devils.
Spain coach Luis Enrique wants to lead the team to play in the World Cup at the end of the year, Sevilla coach Lopetegui has no intention of jumping ship, Chelsea coach Tuchel and Leicester City's Brendan Rodgers have also said that they do not plan to change jobs. So Tenhag and Pochettino are the two favourites for United's managers, but there is also a mysterious contender, the British "Daily Telegraph" said that Manchester United interviewed a total of 3 managers, the other is neither Enrique nor Lopetegui, whose name has not yet been exposed.
United's wavering of the manager is understandable, as different factions within the club support different candidates. Forelor's former assistant coach McLaren supported his coach Tenhag in Twent, and even compared him to the old lord. But Manchester United legend Gary Neville revealed he remains a Pochettino supporter but feels the old club will choose Tenhag.
"I think the Manchester United fans are asking for a new start, they're asking for the manager to be a new name." Neville analyzed, "They want something completely different that they've never seen before." This may be detrimental to Pochettino in some ways. But I have a crush on Pochettino because I've seen him work up close. I spent a week at Tottenham Five or Six years ago when he coached there and the work he did was incredible. The most important thing for Pochettino is that he has not worked with stars in the past, apart from winning trophies, and now that he has experience in coaching Paris, he is more comprehensive and more prepared to deal with Manchester United's big names. I think he is more suitable for a club like Manchester United because he has been subjected to a rigorous test. He has coached at Southampton and Tottenham and knows the Premier League better."
"But if you look at the public reports on Tenhag, they are very enthusiastic. But the club cannot be affected by this, and the selection of managers must be professional, diligently complete the interview, and need to be completed as soon as possible. You can't start the interview process and then it's over in two months, they have to be done quickly. Manchester United are really swaying with the wind and the wind is blowing towards Tenhag, so I think the club will choose him."