Mauricio Pochettino has said he will speak with Sir Alex Ferguson once his commitments with the United States national team end, as he prepares to take charge of Manchester United.
United announced on Thursday that Pochettino had been appointed on a two-and-a-half-year contract, with the agreement that he would begin work after overseeing two more USA games. The team secured a 6-0 win over Haiti on Saturday night in his penultimate match in charge.
Pochettino's Farewell and New Challenge
Speaking after the victory, the 54-year-old reflected on leaving the USA role. "It's always difficult to say goodbye, but life is like this," he said. "Always you have new challenges and, of course, I've always followed my heart and my dreams."
He added: "It's sad, but at the same time, we're in the place that we wanted to be (with the USA). I think it was really tough during the two years but I think we achieved something that is difficult to measure … to put a value on. But I think it's going to be very good for soccer here in the future."
Ferguson Admiration and Future Plans
Asked whether he had spoken with Ferguson since accepting the job, Pochettino told The Telegraph: "Not yet, but for sure I will have the opportunity after Tuesday." He described Ferguson as representing "everything that I admire from a coach, a head coach, a man, a manager and I think he represents my values."
Pochettino first dined with Ferguson in 2016 and the pair have remained in touch since. Ferguson continues to attend United games regularly and has supported each manager since his retirement.
United's Decision and First Fixture
United were drawn to Pochettino because of his personality, management experience and philosophy. Club sources have praised his "outstanding record" of developing individual talent and his track record of building strong team cultures.
Pochettino will begin work at Carrington on Wednesday, leaving him four days to prepare for his first game against Liverpool at Anfield.
