Mauricio Pochettino tipped to sign Chelsea star if he gets Man Utd job

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with Manchester United (Picture: Getty)

Rene Meulensteen believes Mauricio Pochettino could raid his former club Chelsea if he gets the Manchester United job.

Pochettino is believed to be one of the names considered by United as they search for Ruben Amorim ’s long-term replacement.

Darren Fletcher was put in temporary charge of the side after Amorim’s 14-month reign came to an end and oversaw a 2-2 Premier League draw with Burnley and a 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton.

United appointed Fletcher’s former teammate Michael Carrick as caretaker manager until the end of the season and his time in charge could not have got off to a better start as the Red Devils beat arch-rivals Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday .

Carrick could force himself into contention for the permanent job with a series of strong performances until the summer but is not currently one of the frontunners for the job.

Instead, Crystal Palace’s departing manager Oliver Glasner, England boss Thomas Tuchel and USA head coach Pochettino have been heavily linked with the Old Trafford job .

Pochettino has been in charge of the USA national team since September 2024 but his contract expires after this summer’s World Cup.

Man Utd sacked Ruben Amorim earlier in the month (Picture: Getty)

Taking over at Manchester United therefore remains a possibility and Meulensteen believes Pochettino could try to sign his former Chelsea player Cole Palmer if he ended up at the Theatre of Dreams.

Palmer, one of the best players in the Premier League in recent seasons, grew up supporting the Red Devils but ended up at Man City before joining Chelsea in 2023.

‘Could Mauricio Pochettino convince Cole Palmer to come to Manchester United? Only if Chelsea would be willing to let him go,’ ex-Old Trafford coach Meulensteen, who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson, told Casinostugan .

Chelsea star Cole Palmer grew up supporting Man Utd (Picture: Getty)

‘Palmer is a fantastic player and I think he would suit Manchester United really well and the way they should be playing because he is a difference maker. That’s always what you want.

‘You’d need to think about how he’s going to fit in because on that right-hand side, where Cole is playing to come into the pocket, obviously you can have Amad Diallo there too or Mbeumo. Bruno operates in the middle.

‘Palmer was a boyhood United fan and it’s actually too strange for words that United never picked up on it and made sure that they sounded him out about his plans if he ever were to leave City. It’s very strange that it never happened, in my opinion.’

United caretaker manager Michael Carrick (Picture: Getty)

Appointing Pochettino has been endorsed by Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who named the ex-Chelsea bosses as one of three managers he wants to take over at his former club .

‘I hope Michael [Carrick] does really well,’ Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast . ‘We could be sat here at the end of the season with the fans up, with the team fifth in the table and back in the Champions League spots, and we could all be getting swayed with it.

‘But there cannot be any consideration that Michael takes the job beyond the end of this season, for the sake of Michael and the club, even if he wins every single game.

‘Who can handle the media? Who can sort the dressing room out? Who can handle the owners? Who plays a style of football that fans will at least enjoy watching? Who has Champions League experience? Who has big‑game experience?

‘The three that stand out are [Thomas] Tuchel, [Carlo] Ancelotti and [Mauricio] Pochettino. They could all be available after the World Cup .’

Following a huge derby win over Manchester City , Manchester United’s next assignment is another daunting clash away at Premier League leaders Arsenal.