Inside Mauricio Pochettino lunch meeting that nearly landed him lucrative managerial job
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It's approaching a decade since Mauricio Pochettino fulfilled one of his lifelong ambitions. The Argentine, who is yet to clinch a significant title outside France, will spearhead the United States men's national football team's campaign to win the 2026 World Cup, with the tournament heading across the pond to the USA, Mexico, and Canada. However, his career might have taken a different path as he was once on the brink of managing English heavyweights Manchester United.
Back in 2016, while at the helm of Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino reportedly had a secret dinner with United's iconic former boss, Sir Alex Ferguson. Though Pochettino brushed it off as a casual meal between two professionals, that encounter soon tied him to rumours about taking over the reins at United.
After all, Ferguson had a huge say in choosing United's managers, particularly when he hand-picked David Moyes in 2013. But with United floundering under Louis van Gaal, the image of Ferguson and Pochettino leaving the same restaurant fuelled speculation about the latter's potential reign at Old Trafford.
When pressed about their meeting during a subsequent press conference after being seen with Ferguson, Pochettino said: "For me, it was a dream come true. "When I was young, when I started my career as a manager, he was always my inspiration, my reference and when you can share two hours with a person who, for me, was the greatest manager in the world, the history of football, you can only enjoy.".
Despite being seen as a potential candidate for the Manchester United managerial role, Pochettino did not end up at the helm of the Red Devils. Instead, the divisive Jose Mourinho took charge, only to be succeeded by ex-player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the close of 2018.
