“Return to Europe” – Pochettino comments could be good news for Man Utd or Arsenal

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he plans to manage in Europe again when his head is clear after being sacked by Tottenham.

The 47-year-old, who was replaced by Jose Mourinho at Spurs last month, has returned to Argentina to see family and friends, and to visit his former club Newell’s Old Boys. He has now spoken for the first time since releasing an initial statement following his dismissal.

And amid links with Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, Pochettino has confirmed he will return to Europe after taking some time to re-motivate himself.

“There are a lot of clubs and attractive projects for me to take on,” Pochettino told Fox in Argentina, as translated by the Mirror.

“But, for the time being, the most important thing is for me to clear my head after five-and-a-half incredible seasons with Tottenham.

“My aim is to seek the ability to rebuild myself and get my self-motivation back.

“It is my intention to return to manage in Europe. It is hard for me to imagine a project in Argentina. However for the sake of my family, I would not refuse to work over here.

“But now I need to be calm for a few days and see what happens. I haven’t had a lot of time to digest what has happened with me.

“My first decision was to come back to Argentina, return to my home and see family and friends. But I expect to return to Europe to make decisions on my future.

“My best decision was to come to Argentina to switch off for 10 days.

“At my age I don’t need a lot of time to recover. I am open to listen to projects put before me.”

There is some fear among Tottenham fans that Pochettino will take over at Arsenal following Unai Emery’s exit, with the Gunners said to be interested in appointing the ex-manager of their fiercest rivals.

But it’s worth remembering Pochettino has vowed never to manage Arsenal or Barcelona because of his relationships with Spurs and Espanyol. He has repeatedly talked up the value of loyalty in the past, so it would be a huge shock if he moved to the other side of north London.

Manchester United, on the other hand, appears to be a more viable option. Tottenham could pile the pressure on current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by beating the Red Devils at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.