Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Mauricio Pochettino responds to Zinedine Zidane links with PSG amid Man Utd exit talk

Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has refused to entertain speculation surrounding his future.

The Argentine has been linked with the vacant full-time position at Manchester United and rumours suggest Zinedine Zidane could replace him in the French capital.

PSG are currently first in Ligue 1 - 13 points clear of Marseille in second - but will ultimately be judged on his team's performance in the Champions League this term.

Many believe Pochettino will leave PSG at the end of the season and is seen as the ideal candidate for the United job after his stellar work at Tottenham.

His team came second in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup during his five-and-a-half-year spell at Spurs.

Who will be the next Manchester United manager? Let us know in the comments below!

Mauricio Pochettino is the favourite for the full-time Manchester United job (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

While Pochettino accepts Zidane is a "great coach" after winning the Champions League three times with Real Madrid, he doesn't believe his PSG fate has already been sealed.

"I don't know, it's not up to me to decide," Pochettino told Cadena SER when asked about the Zidane rumours. "Zidane is a great coach, he already showed it at Real Madrid.

"He can train any trainer in the world. Also, he is French. That is one more question for the sporting director or the president.

"Look, when Zinedine Zidane was at Real Madrid, how many rumours didn't come out of me [when I was] in England?

"When we take charge of a club with the visibility of PSG, we know that this comes with the position.

"That has to be accepted, otherwise I could not be sitting here in front of you right now as PSG coach."

Pochettino went on to say: "I go step by step, like [Atletico Madrid manager] Cholo Simeone. I think you have to enjoy the moments.

"We cannot be thinking about what is going to come.

"We have to be concentrated and focused on what we have now and football will have whatever it wants with us later.

"We are responsible for doing our best and giving 100 per cent for the club we work for.

Zinedine Zidane could replace Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain (SIPA USA/PA Images)

"We are 200 per cent focused on PSG and on giving this club the happiness they expect from us."

Gary Neville is one of the many critics to suggest Pochettino would be the ideal candidate to succeed interim manager Ralf Rangnick at United.

"I think United will get the right manager at the end of the season for the longer term," the Red Devils legend told Sky Sports in December.

"I'd like Pochettino to be the next manager because he's got experience of the league, I think he would play the right type of football.

"It feels like the moment for him to step up. He's managing big stars, characters and personalities. I've always liked him and the way in which he has operated.

"I think he fits the club, he works with young players as well. He gets the best out of players. He's a good coach. But also I think he works people the right way."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.