MY ACCOUNT
Mauricio Pochettino refused to shut down rumours he could become the next Manchester United manager after Paris Saint-Germain lost to Manchester City.
The Ligue 1 leaders took the lead at the Etihad Stadium but goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus secured a 2-1 victory for City and top spot in Champions League Group A.
The match has been overshadowed by speculation over Pochettino’s future, with the former Tottenham boss said to be one of United’s top targets to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager.
Despite insisting before the game that he was committed to PSG, talk has persisted that the Argentine is keen to return to his family in England and would relish the chance to take over at Old Trafford.
Speaking after his side’s defeat in Manchester, Pochettino declined to rule out the prospect of leaving for United.
“The players are well aware of the situation,” he said, as per L’Equipe.
“There are rumours in this environment, some positive, some negative. Now is not the time to talk about it.
“We have to improve in all aspects, all areas. We are improving. I’m happy with the process. There are things that are better now than a month ago. Little by little, the team will improve.”
City looked the stronger side for much of the contest, finishing with 2.09 expected goals to the visitors’ 1.04.
They had 16 shots to PSG’s seven and 37 touches in their opponents’ box while conceding only 10 as they largely limited the impact of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Pochettino accepted his side were second-best in the first half but felt the game was under their control when they held the lead.
“There were two halves,” he said. “They started better. They were very aggressive in pressing. There were some good things but others that need to be improved.
“At 0-0 at half-time, we were able to solve some problems. We had the game under control at 1-0. I’m disappointed with the result. You have to progress every day.”
