As lunch dates go, this one got a lot of attention.
There has been no shortage of suggestion from insiders at Old Trafford that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is the manager admired above all others by Manchester United overlord Sir Alex Ferguson.
There is still huge uncertainty over whether or not Louis van Gaal will be manager next season, but it is said that potential replacement Jose Mourinho lacks universal support from within the Old Trafford boardroom while others feel that Ryan Giggs is not yet ready for the top job.
So when Ferguson was spotted having lunch in London with Pochettino last week it was enough to send the rumour mill into overdrive.
Poch's face here… https://t.co/QMjP22WsSl
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) May 11, 2016
Pochettino put an end to those rumours when he signed a contract extension. On Friday, ahead of Tottenham’s final game of the season, he explained exactly why he was meeting Ferguson and how excited he was by it.
“Did he say ‘come to Manchester United?’ No he didn’t,” said Pochettino.
“If you know Sir Alex Ferguson, he is a person that we can all learn from because he has a fantastic history about football, and about life.”
“It was a dream come true because when I was younger and at the start of my career, he was my inspiration, my reference. And when you can share two hours with the person who is one of the greatest managers in the world of all time you must enjoy it.
“I wanted time to stop, but of course that is impossible. It was fantastic.”
