Gary Neville explains why Man Utd has selected Erik ten Hag over Mauricio Pochettino for Manager Position
Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville believes the club will prefer to hire Erik ten Hag as their next permanent manager over Mauricio Pochettino because he better fits their long-term goal. After witnessing United lose 4-1 to cross-city rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Neville made the revelation. Despite showing glimpses of promise in the first half, City were a class above in the second half and cruised to all three points.
It emphasized United’s critical need to select a new manager as quickly as possible ahead of the summer and the start of a new era for the second time this season. Ten Hag of Ajax and Pochettino of Paris Saint-Germain are currently the frontrunners for the job.
Despite their expertise, both managers are still seen as up and coming, with their finest years yet ahead of them. However, according to Neville, United will “favor” Ten Hag over Pochettino due to the long-term vision they hope to implement starting this summer.
Neville said: “Manchester United need a longer-term approach for a manager, they’re not going to appoint a short-term manager as they did with Jose [Mourinho]. They went against the grain with that and won’t do it again. They want to appoint Ten Hag or Pochettino, a young, up-and-coming manager for the long-term. They can’t put all their eggs in one basket.”
According to Neville, he believes they are leaning toward Ten Hag for the future, but they will not choose Rangnick. He was only ever coming in for five months, collecting intelligence about the club’s structure and people, and then handing over his report and moving into a consultancy job the following season, with the club either taking his advice or not.
Neville believes he’ll have a lot of negative things to say about the players in that locker room. With Pochettino, they’re taking a big gamble. If Paris Saint-Germain are thrown out of the Champions League, they may let him leave, but if they win it, it will be more difficult for United to get him because PSG doesn’t need the money and will keep him.
