Mauricio Pochettino was quick to shut down those asking if he is ‘glad’ to have missed out on the Manchester United job ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Erik ten Hag is not the only top-flight boss who appears to have grown frustrated with the line of questioning.
On a day that Manchester United stamped their foot down and barred a number of publications from entry ahead of Ten Hag’s press conference, Mauricio Pochettino spent much of the early afternoon attempting to distance himself from the ongoing furore surrounding the eternally-beleaguered Red Devils.
Manchester United considered Mauricio Pochettino
Now, Pochettino could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief, having missed out on the Man United job to Ten Hag back in 2022. But he was never going to admit as such. At least, not to those tasked with writing the headlines.
“I’m not going to talk about (that),” Pochettino told Football London after being asked if he was ‘glad’ to have been overlooked for a job that would make the general director of NASA feel fatigued.
“You laugh but you try to make me talk too much. I don’t want to make a mistake. I’m not the person to talk what is going on at different clubs. I am happy here, in this project. We are dealing with many situations we need to improve also.
“Maybe if someone sees the project from outside, maybe they think we need advice from the outside.”
Pochettino, like Ten Hag in his first season at Old Trafford, has come in for criticism following an inconsistent start and a couple of heavy defeats. Chelsea, a la Man United, suffered a demoralising defeat away at St James’ Park recently.
They also travel to the North West comfortably adrift of the Champions League places.
Erik ten Hag faces Chelsea challenge
“I think we are all in similar level with different situations,” Pochettino adds. “I don’t say it is a good moment to go there (to United). We are facing a team that is going to be tough because they want to win, and we want to keep our momentum and build from Brighton and be high in the table.
“It’s important for us to be in a different position.
“I am focused on my club. We need to do better. It’s a process I can explain but never compare with another club. We are building something we believe is going to be amazing, it is about a period of time and earning the thing we want.”
Pochettino confirmed that big-money signings Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia will be absent on Wednesday, while Lesley Ugochuwku is also likely to miss out.
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