Erik ten Hag's appointment as Man United manager left Pochettino 'shocked'

The 52-year-old was confirmed as United's new manager on Thursday morning after agreeing to a three-year contract with the option of an additional year.

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A day after Manchester United appointed Ajax's Erik ten Hag as the club's new manager from the next season onward, reports suggest that managerial candidate Mauricio Pochettino was caught unaware by the Dutchman's recruitment as Old Trafford boss.

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The 52-year-old was confirmed as United's new manager on Thursday morning after agreeing to a three-year contract with the option of an additional year.

Prior to his appointment, Ten Hag had been in a race with Paris Saint-Germain's Pochettino to fill in the vacancy at Old Trafford - a post that was vacant after the Red Devils sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November.

However, according to a report in The Athletic, United did not inform the Argentine about Ten Hag's appointment, and the PSG boss was caught by surprise. The report stated that United planned to inform Pochettino directly about missing out on the top job before the announcement came in. However, the timing of the news was 'awkward' as the PSG manager had felt 'confident' about sealing the Old Trafford role.

Pochettino's representatives reportedly held discussions early this month with Matt Juge over potential contract details. Reports added that two months before the Dutchman's appointment, the PSG boss gathered information about Manchester as a city, the structure of Old Trafford and the personality of its players.

The Athletic claimed Pochettino felt confident about getting a proposal after building a relationship with the club dating back to 2018 when he first met Ed Woodward. Reports had earlier stated in February that the majority of the United squad preferred Pochettino over the Ajax boss. But ultimately, Old Trafford chiefs never consulted the squad over Ten Hag before they went through with the appointment.