Manchester United have always shown interest in me, but the ideal scenario to manage there has never quite materialised' Mauricio Pochettino on his Old Trafford opportunities

"Since Mauricio Pochettino arrived in English football with Southampton in January 2013, Manchester United have cycled through 11 interim, caretaker or permanent managers, from Sir Alex Ferguson up to Michael Carrick. Even more coaches have been linked with the post, with the same names seemingly popping up every time the Old Trafford dugout is vacant. Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is one such manager and, according to the man himself, this was not just gossip column speculation."

"United have always shown interest, Pochettino reveals to FourFourTwo. But the ideal scenario to manage there has never quite materialised. Pochettino met with Ferguson in 2016 (Image credit: Getty Images) In any case, that lunch with Sir Alex had absolutely nothing to do with it, he continues before explaining how the meeting came about."

"In his final season as a manager, we played a great game against United with Southampton. In the press conference after, he said we'd been the most complete opponent that United had faced. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Through the secretary of the League Managers Association, he asked for my phone number so that we could have lunch."

"It was a meeting in London between colleagues between a genius and an apprentice. My English wasn't great, but Jesus Perez helped. When we asked for the bill, I wanted to take it, and so did he. We started arguing over who'd pay! He said, Stop Mauricio, I'm going to ask you a question. If you answer correctly, you pay. If not, I'll pay."

Pochettino has been repeatedly linked with Manchester United since arriving in English football with Southampton in 2013. Manchester United have had many interim and permanent managers over the years, and multiple coaches have been connected to the vacant role. Pochettino says United interest has always existed, but the ideal opportunity to manage there never materialized. He explains that a 2016 lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson was arranged through the League Managers Association, after Ferguson asked for his phone number. The meeting took place in London between colleagues, with help from Jesus Perez due to language barriers. They even argued about who would pay the bill, and Ferguson posed a question about an Argentine player who scored in the 1930 World Cup.

Read at www.fourfourtwo.com