PSG sporting director Leonardo has finally broken his silence on reports linking Mauricio Pochettino to the Manchester United job.
The 52-year-old Brazilian is in charge of all sporting operations at the Parisian club and has revealed they have no intention of letting Pochettino leave.
Speaking to French media outlet AFP, Leonardo said: “We don’t want Pochettino to go. He’s never asked to leave and no club has contacted us for him.
“We have a lot of respect for Zinedine Zidane, what he’s done as a player and a manager.
“But I can tell you very clearly that there is no contact and no meeting with him took place.”
Pochettino, 49, emerged as the overwhelming favourite to take on the Man Utd job following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier this week.
Reports suggest that the former Tottenham boss is the Man Utd’s board’s first choice to become their new permanent manager.
It was a deal that made a lot of sense, with the club long-term admirers of Pochettino, amid reports he has also coveted the job for some time.
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There has also been speculation that the French giants are lining up Zinedine Zidane as Pochettino’s replacement, should he decide to move to Old Trafford.
It was claimed they had already made contact with the former Real Madrid boss, who has reportedly already rejected the chance to become Man Utd manager.
But Leonardo’s comments appear to put those rumours to bed, suggesting that the club are happy with Pochettino and have no intention of replacing him.
And Man Utd now appear to be on the verge of appointing former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick, 63, as their new interim manager on a six-month deal.
Rangnick is set to be appointed on a temporary basis with a view to eventually become a director and taking on more of a consultancy role in the future.
This would appear to rule out the possibility of Pochettino quitting PSG before the end of the season, having only joined the club as recently as January.
THE RANGNICK SAGA
Rangnick is currently Head of Sports and Development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, having only taken on the role in July.
But he appears to be close to quitting after just five months in the role to join the 13-time Premier League champions – his first managerial role outside of Germany.
But the Red Devils must wait for Lokomotiv to grant Rangnick permission to leave, having signed a three-year deal at the RZD Arena.
United are now sweating over the appointment, with the club desperate for Rangnick to come in and implement his famous playing style as soon as possible.
Rangnick is known for having pioneered the ‘Gegenpressing’ style of play, which has since been adopted by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Julian Nagelsmann.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is another disciple of Rangnick, having given him his first ever coaching job by after his playing career ended through injury.
Caretaker manager Michael Carrick is set to take charge of the club for the second and possibly last time against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
It is hoped that Rangnick will be able to take charge of United for the first time as they take on Arsenal at Old Trafford on 2 December.
And reports suggest he is already in England securing his work permit to allow him to get started at Carrington in time for next week’s fixtures.
He is also famous for discovering and developing unknown talent and turning them into superstars, including the likes of Erling Haaland and Sadio Mane.
And it is believed there are several fringe players at United who could benefit from the German’s appointment, including Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
