Mauricio Pochettino has been labelled a "great fit" to take over at Manchester United and transform their fortunes.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino is on the shortlist for the Old Trafford vacancy but faces competition from Ajax chief Erik ten Hag for the job. Pochettino's days in the French capital look numbered, despite an impressive 12-point lead at the top of Ligue 1, after they crashed out of the Champions League.
John Collins knows all about what it is like to be a success in Paris after scoring from the spot for Scotland against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup. And the former Celtic, Everton and Monaco star believes the Argentine is the perfect person to succeed Ralf Rangnick and get the Red Devils firing again.
Collins said: "He is a terrific manager. He had Tottenham playing fabulous attacking football and took them to a Champions League final on a reduced budget compared to some other teams.
"The biggest mistake Daniel Levy has ever made in his life was sacking him. It was a ridiculous decision and one I think he probably regrets. United have to get the right manager and give him time to build the team. Whichever manager goes in now, and Poch would be a great fit, needs time.
"They must get rid of the players they don't want and it takes two, three, four windows. You've got players on big wages and they need to sign their type of players. You also need to get the best out of the players he inherits."
The heat on Pochettino has intensified after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League to Real Madrid in the round of 16 stage. Collins also watched PSG get dismantled by Monaco last weekend, a match shown live on BT Sport, the exclusive broadcaster of France's Ligue 1 Uber Eats in the UK and Ireland.
However, he insists Pochettino was not to blame for their Bernabeu surrender. He said: "Anyone who is giving Pochettino stick doesn't know what they are talking about. PSG were smashing them and in full control of the game and then the goalkeeper makes a mistake and it was a whirlwind 15 minutes.
"I couldn't believe what happened. I've never seen anything like it in my life. No manager can control that momentum in a 15 minute period. His goalkeeper, who is world class, makes a mistake. His centre-half, worth £70m, makes a mistake.
"What can a manager do? When you make little mistakes at this stage of the Champions League you get punished."
BT Sport is the exclusive broadcaster of France's Ligue 1 Uber Eats this season, with several live matches broadcast every week. For more info, visit btsport.com
