Manchester United have committed a costly error with Mauricio Pochettino

Manchester United are willing to pay big money for Mauricio Pochettino, but it may be too late to turn the head of the Spurs manager.

When Manchester United made the expensive decision to part ways with Jose Mourinho the club’s eyes immediately turned to Mauricio Pochettino. Unfortunately for the higher-ups at Old Trafford, their unwillingness to make an immediate move for the Tottenham boss may keep him in North London for the foreseeable future.

Reports from England claim that Ed Woodward and company have now decided they won’t be deterred by Pochettino’s contract status with Spurs. In other words, they’re perfectly willing to buy the Argentine gaffer out of the £34 million left on his deal. When you compare that to the going rate for a bench player on the transfer market it’s obvious that a quality manager is worth that sum of money.

Frankly, it’s ridiculous that United have waited too long to come to this easy decision. The idea that a top-flight manager wouldn’t be worth £34 million has always been nonsense. United, in particular, are a club that need to find a leader who can reshape their football identity. Pochettino is the best choice they can make to undergo that sort of transformation.

Unfortunately for United fans, the club’s dalliance with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will cost them dearly in their attempts to woo Pochettino. He is not a manager that is purely motivated by money. If he were, he would leave Tottenham in an instant. There’s no chance that Daniel Levy and company are going to make him the highest paid manager in the Premier League. That’s certainly a possibility at United.

Instead, Pochettino’s potential choice between Spurs and United would be about much more. A big part of his decision would come down to where he and his staff would feel wanted the most. That’s the error United have already made if they do want to tempt him to switch Premier League clubs. Their flirtation with Solskjaer has made it easy for Tottenham to convince him that they are the only club that are truly ready to hand him absolute control.

If United are content to elevate Solskjaer to the position of permanent manager, none of this will matter. Many believe that’s destined to happen if he can keep the club in the top four. United’s recent disaster against PSG in the Champions League has cast some doubt on his world-class credentials though. When you contrast that against Pochettino’s tactical masterclass versus Dortmund it makes it easy for United fans and officials to yearn for the Argentine.

If United do elect to pursue Pochettino this summer, they’ve already handed Tottenham officials a huge boost. Spurs officials will rightly tell Pochettino he’s always been their first choice manager. At no point during his tenure has their support of him wavered.

United, on the other hand, have already been guilty of having their collective heads’ turned by a good run of Premier League football against mediocre opposition by Solskjaer. Don’t be surprised if that costs them any real chance to lure Pochettino to Old Trafford this summer.