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What happened last time Mauricio Pochettino interviewed for Man Utd job?
Nov 10 2026 10:48 · By onefootball.com · 172 Reads
Mauricio Pochettino has long been of interest to Manchester United
Mauricio Pochettino has long been of interest to Manchester United, having twice previously interviewed for the manager job.
Pochettino continues to enjoy a stellar reputation in the Premier League thanks to his work at Tottenham over five-and-a-half years, during which time he twice came close to winning the Premier League title and took Spurs to a Champions League final.
The Argentine's time with Southampton, previous to Spurs, was also eye-catching, while his one-season spell with Chelsea, which ended two years ago, showed signs of promise before his mutually agreed exit.
So it was Pochettino's success at Spurs which twice previously attracted interest internally at Manchester United.
And as Pochettino emerges as the favourite to become the new Man Utd manager, we look back on the previous times he has been sounded out for the job.
Mauricio Pochettino in 2018
Manchester United via Getty Images
November 2018
Man Utd reportedly came calling in late 2018, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
According to The Mirror, Pochettino - who at the time had Spurs in third place in the Premier League standings and was six months away from guiding them to the Champions League final - was a standout candidate and had the approval of Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was eventually given the caretaker role and then the permanent gig, and remained in charge for just under three years.
Mauricio Pochettino in 2022
AFP/Getty
Pochettino interviewed for the Man Utd job in March 2022, while Ralf Rangnick was in caretaker charge, and eventually lost out to Erik ten Hag.
Pochettino was set to be sacked by Paris Saint-Germain, despite going on to win the Ligue 1 title that season, after being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
The Argntine recently spoke about the process in an interview with FourFourTwo: "I was under contract at PSG.
"After our Champions League elimination against Real Madrid, we had no option but to make sure we secured the Ligue 1 title at the least.
"United were in a hurry to announce their new manager before the end of that season because the situation had become unsustainable.
"I couldn't negotiate, where as Ajax gave Ten Hag the flexibility to do so."