Manchester United to battle Real Madrid for Mauricio Pochettino?

Manchester United's hunt for a full-time manager continues. Mauricio Pochettino is one of the men shortlisted. However, it might have to battle Real Madrid for him now.

English Premier League (EPL) giants Manchester United is having a torrid season. In the meantime, it is also in the hunt for a full-time manager who it will hire following the season-end to replace caretaker head coach Ralf Rangnick. Among the shortlisted men happen to be the current Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is also being targeted by Spanish giants Real Madrid.

It is being widely reported that Pochettino will be leaving PSG at the season-end. Although his team has fared brilliantly in Ligue 1, failure to perform well in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) could compel the club to part ways with the Argentine. While United players reportedly want him in charge, Daily Mail has now reported that Madrid could enter the race to hire him.

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Madrid is having a decent season in La Liga this term, as it looks well on course to win the title. However, it is its UCL fate that is hanging in the balance. Interestingly, it is battling PSG in the pre-quarters, where it's trailing 0-1 after the opening leg in Paris, while failing to get past it could pile pressure on current head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

It has also been reported that Madrid president Florentino Perez is a huge fan of Pochettino. However, as per 90min, the Argentine's former club Tottenham Hotspur could look to have him back, with the club hierarchies not impressed with Antonio Conte. While all of this comes as a blow for United, it still has some top managers on its shortlist, including Graham Potter (Brighton and Hove Albion), Erik ten Hag (Ajax) and Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City). The Red Devils could also be interested in Conte if Spurs let go of him.