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Mauricio Pochettino ‘could not believe’ Man Utd appointed Ten Hag and ‘spent months researching Manchester as a city’
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MAURICIO POCHETTINO allegedly “could not believe” Manchester United appointed Erik ten Hag after he reportedly “spent months researching” the city.
The Red Devils finally confirmed on Thursday that the Dutchman would be taking charge this summer.
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He will leave Ajax at the end of the season after penning a three-year contract worth £9m annually.
Before he emerged as the leading candidate for the job, Paris Saint-Germain’s Pochettino was among the top contenders for the role.
But Poch allegedly was not informed by United that Ten Hag was in pole position and was caught by surprise when the news was announced.
claim that the club had allegedly planned to call the Argentine to inform him directly that he had missed out on the job.
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But they state the “confident” former Tottenham manager felt the timing of the news was “awkward”.
His representative’s had reportedly held talks with United chief Matt Judge over personal terms.
And for the last two months he has even “been gathering information about Manchester as a city” ahead of potentially living there.
This fresh report claims that Pochettino was confident he would be offered the role after developing a relationship with Ed Woodward and the club from 2018.
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He also had lunch with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2016 where it's said Poch mesmerised the legendary boss.
Poch must now focus on trying to lead PSG to the Ligue 1 title while Ten Hag does the same at Ajax before moving to United.
After his appointment was confirmed, Ten Hag said: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead.
“I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.
“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”
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