Why would Manchester United not want Mauricio Pochettino? The arguments don’t add up

There it was, emphasised in a scoreline that read Nantes 3-1 PSG: Mauricio Pochettino is not the manager Manchester United need.

Forget the inspired performance from home goalkeeper Alban Lafont at Beaujoire Stadium, who strongly thwarted open-play efforts from Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Never mind one of the all-time hideous penalty howlers from the latter – kiss the ball, shimmy, stutter, softest strike going – which killed what was shaping up to be a likely comeback.

Ignore too that Paris Saint-Germain are more a brand than a collective, more headliners than harmony and sustainability.

The details do not matter to those that are convinced that Pochettino shouldn’t be who the United hierarchy turn to this summer, and the list of reasons they hold against his name.

What has he won? Perhaps people aren’t aware, but Espanyol, Southampton and Tottenham aren’t really in the habit of collecting silverware. Diminishing Pochettino’s work at all three on account of a measurement stick that shouldn’t be applied is silly.

He saved a financially unstable Espanyol from relegation, against all logic, after becoming their third throw of the dice in 2008-09.

Their highest league finish of 8th over the past decade and some change was achieved under Pochettino for the first time.

He recast Southampton, getting them to play with the ambition and aggression of a big club – delivering victories against Manchester City, Liverpool (twice) and Chelsea, as well as draws with Arsenal, Manchester United (twice) and City that the players still reflect on fondly in WhatsApp groups.

The development of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne, Calum Chambers, Dejan Lovren and others under his watch fetched huge income via transfer