Breathe easy, Ole
Mauricio Pochettino could be about to end his 12-month stay in the managerial wilderness… and no, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not in any immediate danger of being given the boot.
Speculation linking the Argentine with Manchester United has never been too far away since he left Tottenham last year, spiking again recently after a couple of disappointing results for Solskjaer’s side.
Having stressed he is eager to return to management during his recent showing on Monday Night Football, reports from Spain claim he has now been offered the chance to do exactly that by Athletic Bilbao.
Marca claim that while current Athletic boss Gaizka Garitano remains at the helm at San Mames, the Basque giants are keen to replace him with a high-profile candidate and are looking to entice Pochettino while United continue to stick with Solskjaer.
United lost consecutive games to Arsenal and Istanbil Basaksehir last week, sparking some newspaper reports which claimed an approach for Pochettino had already been made.
Contradictory reports soon emerged, and a 3-1 win for United at Everton on Saturday alleviated some of the pressure that had been building for the Norwegian.
Joining Jamie Carragher and Dave Jones in the MNF studio last week, Pochettino left little doubt that he was eager to make a return to management as soon as the right opportunity presented itself:
“I always feel ready to get back involved in the game,” he said. “I love football, it’s my job.”
“It’s not a stress when you are working, it’s not a stress to go into the training ground, it’s not a stress to prepare the game, it’s not a stress to compete.
“My hair is long, look. I hope to cut it when we start working again to work. I am looking forward again to being involved in the game.”
