Mauricio Pochettino was loudly jeered by Paris Saint-Germain fans ahead of their clash against Lorient on Sunday as speculation surrounding a potential switch to Manchester United continues to linger - but he refused to be drawn on his future.
The Argentine coach is yet to fully win over the supporters in the French capital despite PSG being on course to reclaim the Ligue 1 title this season. His side are now 12 points clear of Marseille with eight games left to play after a thumping 5-1 victory over relegation battlers Lorient, in which all three of their superstar forwards were on target.
Neymar and Kylian Mbappe both grabbed two goals apiece, while Lionel Messi scored his first goal since the beginning of February in the one-sided rout. But fans had already voiced their displeasure at their manager in the lead up to kick-off, booing Pochettino when he appeared on the big screen and as his name was called out over the tannoy.
Pressed on the rumours linking him with the Man Utd vacancy after the match, Pochettino told Foot Mercato: "I am not discussing my future with the club as of now. I have one year left on my contract, we need to analyse the situation before making a decision."
PSG had introduced their starting lineup for the evening, with cheers for all of their players - though Messi's was not quite as enthusiastic - while Pochettino drew a more negative reaction from the home crowd at the Parc des Princes. The booing comes following his failure to lead the club to the Champions League final after their shock exit to Real Madrid last month.
Pochettino defended PSG's shortcomings in Europe under his watch earlier this week, pointing the finger at Manchester City's failure to yet land the trophy as an example it is not a straightforward operation. “So far, PSG have reached the Champions League semi-final and the final, so it’s part of a process that requires time,” Pochettino said during a press conference.
"There are also clubs like Juventus and Manchester City who want to win the Champions League, but they cannot achieve what they are working for.” PSG's disappointing campaign last season is also still fresh in the memory of the club's fans after they were pipped to the Ligue 1 crown by Lyon - a competition which they are expected to win comfortably each season.
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It is those same failures which have led Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp to question whether the former Tottenham boss would be the right man to lead Man Utd out of their current plight if appointed in the summer. "They need to get the right manager in, Pochettino has been a serial underachiever as much as I like him," Redknapp said after United's draw with Leicester on Saturday. "Can he go and do it at Manchester United? There’s no real belief that he can."
The 50-year-old remains one of the leading candidates for the top job at Old Trafford however, with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag his biggest competition in the running. Both men are said to have been interviewed by United chiefs, though it is Ten Hag who appears to be edging the race thus far.
United may also be more inclined to lean towards appointing Ten Hag after discovering the get-out clause in his Ajax contract. Mirror Football exclusively revealed Ten Hag could be acquired for €2m (£1.6m).
