EXCLUSIVE
Pochetti-no?
Manchester United warned Mauricio Pochettino ‘is not an elite manager’ as ex-Tottenham boss has ‘struggled’ to coach Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
Mauricio Pochettino's return to the Premier League is gathering pace as Manchester United continue their efforts to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, despite his experience at Tottenham and at Paris Saint-Germain, talkSPORT pundits Darren Bent and Danny Murphy doubt the Argentine's credentials and claim he is 'not an elite manager'.
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The 49-year-old is the heavy favourite to takeover at Old Trafford. talkSPORT understands the ex-Spurs boss is 'desperate' to swap PSG for Man United now, and not in the summer as some reports suggest.
And club legend Sir Alex Ferguson is personally leading the charge to bring him in.
The possibility of landing Pochettino arose following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was dismissed on Sunday after a 4-1 loss to Watford - the latest in a series of humiliating defeats in the Premier League.
Whilst Man United attempt to lure the Argentine to Old Trafford they do have games to play and have placed Michael Carrick, Solskjaer's former no.2, in charge and he will hope for a perfect start when he takes his side to Spain to face Villarreal in the Champions League, live on talkSPORT 2.
With that said, should Pochettino arrive as many expect, talkSPORT's Darren Bent is not convinced the former Tottenham coach has what it takes to succeed at Old Trafford.
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"I still don't think he's an elite manager," ex-Spurs striker Bent told the talkSPORT Breakfast.
"I'm totally behind what Danny Murphy said, in terms of he's still yet to be proven that he is an elite manager working with elite players.
"He's still not found a way of getting Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the team consistently and playing well.
"Even though he came in half way through last season, he still managed to lose the French league.
"I look at for instance Thomas Tuchel [Chelsea manager], now Thomas Tuchel I think is an elite manager.
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"I can remember people calling up the station and saying that he wasn't an elite manager, all he has ever won is the French league and that doesn't make him an elite manager.
"He only became elite once he took Chelsea to the Champions League, now he is one of the best managers in the world.
"I like Pochettino, what he did at Spurs was fantastic, he made average players and turned them into better players, he developed some of the younger players down there.
"Some of the performances we were seeing from Spurs, the way they played, the press, it was really good to watch.
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"As Danny was saying, he's won the French cup, he's going to win the French League but is still yet to convince me at the elite level.
"Can he go on and win the big big trophies, that's why it's a risk because he hasn't been there before."
As mentioned, Bent's words were echoed by the former Liverpool midfielder Murphy who believes Pochettino still has a lot of work to do before being considered as one of the best managers in the world.
"For me, Pochettino is not the one," the talkSPORT pundit told White and Jordan. "He's a manager who is yet to proven at a top level club winning things consistently.
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"He made Tottenham into a competitive side by coaching players well, making them better together collectively and individually.
"Did a great job at Spurs with players who wanted to be coached, wanted to get better.
"He's going to be walking in [at Man United] as he is at PSG where he's struggled a bit to be fair, lets be honest.
"He's yet to show that he can deal with top quality, top class international players over a period of time and win things."
Instead, Murphy believes Brendan Rodgers is a better fit for the United job, with the Leicester City boss another top contender, saying his experiences at 'massive clubs' Liverpool and Celtic stand him in better stead to take over at Old Trafford.
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"I think I'd go for Brendan Rodgers over Pocehttino," said the former Reds star.
"I think the experience at Liverpool, let's remember how he created that front line and changed it midway through the season to make them title contenders.
"But he's been at a massive club and understands the expectation. I know is at PSG and he was at Tottenham, and they are big clubs, but it's not the same as being at Liverpool and Manchester United.
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"He's got that extra bit of experience."
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