Mauricio Pochettino sends message to Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of Man Utd mission

Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as Manchester United manager (Picture: Getty) Mauricio Pochettino would welcome the chance to speak with Sir Alex Ferguson as he prepares for the task of resurrecting Manchester United.

Michael Carrick’s successor’s penultimate match in charge of United States ended in an emphatic 6-0 thrashing of Haiti as he moved a step closer to beginning his United tenure.

The former Tottenham boss will start life at the Red Devils on Wednesday after two Nations League matches with Haiti, but USA all but assured their place in the semi-finals of the competition with a comprehensive first-leg showing.

Austin Trusty’s smart finish from a 10th-minute set-piece ensured Pochettino’s team were ahead at half-time before they ran riot after the break with Christian Pulisic able to net a brace either side of goals from Julian Hall, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

Pochettino paid tribute to his staff and players in an emotional press conference on Friday and duly watched USA romp to a 6-0 victory.

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‘We played for him,’ Trusty said in a post-match interview with TNT Sports after opening the scoring in the 10th minute.

‘Obviously, he’s our gaffer. Obviously it’s sad that he’s moving on. It’s a great opportunity that he’s moving on to. But we played for him. It’s his team. It’s his identity, and the mindset is to win every single game, every single match.’

The second leg of the Nations League quarterfinals will take place Tuesday in Cincinnati.

‘Pochettino is an amazing manager and he added a lot to us with the national team,’ Folarin Balogun told TNT Sports. ‘It’s always sad to see a top coach leave but it’s a part of the sport.’

The 54-year-old will have little time to reflect on his accomplishments in his soon-to-be former role as he will immediately begin plotting for his first game in charge of United at Anfield next Sunday.

Pochettino inherits a side that is currently in the bottom three in the Premier League table, short on confidence and a dressing room split following the recent actions of senior players, including the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez.

Given the current state of play and his pre-existing relationship with Ferguson, it is perhaps no surprise that Pochettino is seeking the advice of the club’s greatest ever manager as he prepares to embark on arguably the toughest assignment of his managerial career to date.

‘Not yet, but for sure I will have the opportunity after Tuesday,’ Pochettino told Telegraph Sport when asked if he had been in contact with Ferguson.

‘I said many years ago and always I say the same – for me, Sir Alex Ferguson represents everything that I admire from a coach, a head coach, a man, a manager and I think he represents my values. I really admire him.

‘For sure, from Tuesday, we will have the possibility to talk – if I will have time because it’s going to be very intense.

‘But if there’s the possibility to talk, then of course I will do that.’

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