Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino will consider “two or three” Premier League jobs if they become available, according to Jan Vertonghen.
Pochettino has been out of work since he was sacked by Spurs last November. The Argentine has been linked with Manchester United and Real Madrid in the past but he is currently being forced to wait to make a return to management.
That’s because it seems he will only consider a handful of big jobs. And Vertonghen, who was one of the stars of Pochettino’s Tottenham over a number of seasons, believes his ex-manager will be picky about the level of Premier League club he is willing to coach at.
“I can imagine he’s impatient,” Vertonghen, now a Benfica player, told CBS Soccer’s Que Golazo podcast (as relayed by the Mirror).
“I think the English league suits him very well as he’s a manager that prioritises fitness levels and the physicality of the game.
“I think managing in the Premier League is probably the best thing he can do.
“He will always want to coach a big team I guess, so you have to look at the biggest teams in the league and there are only two or three you can really look at I think at this point.”
However, Vertonghen would not name those teams.
He added: “I won’t name them out of respect for the other managers, but I think that’s what he’s looking at as well and he wants that big team to confirm him what he’s been doing with Tottenham and what he did very well.
“If I was him I would be impatient because he really loved his job and you want to continue that.”
Many Spurs fans still have a huge amount of affection for Pochettino, so they will be anxiously waiting to see if he takes the next big job that becomes available in England.
It’s inevitable that he will return to the Premier League eventually, but there is obviously a chance he will manage abroad first.
