Mauricio Pochettino's move to Manchester United is close, but the sharper question is whether the club have arrived too late to get the version of him they once wanted. They came very close to hiring him in 2018, 2021 and 2024, and the links go back to a much-publicised dinner with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2016, when Ferguson essentially told him he should be the United manager.
United's long chase for Pochettino
The history here is messy and long. United considered him in the summer of 2016, but an exit clause was allowed to expire. Since then, the club have revisited the idea several times, while the release clause now being discussed is around £7.5million.
The urgency is obvious enough from the league table. Manchester United sit 18th with 8 points from 10 league matches, and their Premier League form is DLLDD. That is the context around the move, even if the appointment is still being described as close rather than done.
Pochettino has also spoken about the feeling that his Tottenham side deserved more. Speaking to independent.co.uk, he said: "I’ve said that, that we should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it… for sure, we deserve to be champions for that year."
Fernandes could benefit first
The other obvious thread is Bruno Fernandes. Pochettino pushed hard to bring him to Tottenham in the summer of 2019, and Fernandes later signed for United six months after that.
Fernandes has still produced 4 league goals and 2 league assists this season, even in a difficult campaign. He has also averaged a 7.07 Premier League rating across 9 league appearances, which is enough to suggest there is still a base to work with if a new manager wants to build around him.
Fernandes has said Pochettino wanted him at Tottenham and that he was furious when the move collapsed. Speaking to the Standard, he said: "Obviously I wanted to go to the Premier League. The [Tottenham] manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me. The president spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day. It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry."
That does not make the reunion inevitable, but it does make Fernandes the cleanest immediate winner if United finish the job. The club's situation is already bleak enough without adding another coaching reset, and Pochettino would arrive with a midfielder he once actively wanted, at a club still stuck in 18th.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
