Man United told to hire 50-year-old after source reveal on ‘going all out’ to lure Thomas Tuchel – pundit
Noel Whelan has urged Manchester United to appoint Mauricio Pochettino over Thomas Tuchel as their new manager.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the Argentine’s “man-management” skills are better than his German counterpart’s.
As revealed by Football Insider on Friday (11 March), Manchester United are planning to go “all out” to entice Tuchel to quit Chelsea and replace Ralf Rangnick amid the uncertainty surrounding the London club.
A United source told this site the 48-year-old is considered “by far the best candidate” in their hunt for Ralf Rangnick’s successor.
However, Pochettino, 50, and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, 52, also feature on the Red Devils’ shortlist.
Whelan suggested the current PSG boss should be United’s top target, even if Tuchel becomes available.
Asked who he would appoint if he was the Manchester United board, Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “Pochettino. He’s fresher and I think he’s got a man-management skill that might be a little bit better with players.
“He knows how to handle big players as well, we’ve seen that. We saw the improvement before he got sacked at Tottenham.
“He’s had a couple of years now where he’s worked with some of the best players in the world. They just fell a little bit short that night, like they did as well under Tuchel.
“They probably have different styles, I think they both do when you look at them.
“I would say the two of them are on par. I think if you’re looking at man-management skills as well, you’re looking at Pochettino.
“It was proven how much he improved Tottenham during the time he was there.”
Pochettino joined PSG in January 2021 and is contracted until 2023.
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