Leonardo denies having had any contact with Zinedine Zidane to become Paris Saint-Germain’s new coach. Moreover, the technical director of PSG has never asked Mauricio Pochettino to leave, he emphasizes in an interview with news agency AFP. Pochettino was one of the candidates to replace the fired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, but the Red Devils chose Ralf Rangnick on Thursday as a temporary solution.
In the French media, Zidane was mentioned as a possible successor to Pochettino, should the Argentinian coach respond to United’s advances. It was even written that the former Real Madrid coach would have already sat down with Leonardo, but this rumor has been relegated to the realm of myth by the technical director. “We have a lot of respect for Zinedine Zidane, what he has done as a player and coach, but I can tell you very clearly that there has been no contact and no meeting with him,” said Leonardo.
According to most English media, Pochettino was the absolute top candidate to succeed Solskjaer at United. The Norwegian manager was fired on Sunday after continuing disappointing results and Michael Carrick has since temporarily acted as interim pope. In the form of Rangnick, United found a solution until the end of the season. English and French media reported that Pochettino was interested in a move to Old Trafford, despite being committed to Paris Saint-Germain until mid-2023.
However, Leonardo emphasizes that Pochettino is still happy in Paris. “We do not want Pochettino to leave,” said the technical director of the French superpower. “He has never asked to leave and no club has contacted us about him.” Pochettino has been at the helm of PSG since January this year. On Wednesday, the PSG coach lost 2-1 in the Champions League to Manchester City. With Rangnick’s temporary appointment at United, this appears to have been Pochettino’s last trip to Manchester for the time being.
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