Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s assessment of Mauricio Pochettino will involve key Man United dilemma

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ assessment of Mauricio Pochettino will certainly involve one key dilemma for Manchester United.

Pochettino, 52, left Chelsea by mutual consent on Tuesday evening despite a strong end to the season at Stamford Bridge for the manager.

He joined the Blues at the beginning of the season and guided them to a sixth-place finish while there remain many problems within the playing squad.

United, meanwhile, finished eighth in the table, but Erik ten Hag’s side have the slim chance of ending the campaign on a high with a win in the FA Cup final against Manchester City on the weekend.

After that, INEOS will be speeding up their process regarding the manager and whether they believe Ten Hag is the right man to take their project forward.

If the Dutchman does leave the Old Trafford club, it has been reported by The Times that Pochettino would be interested in talking to United about taking over.

The Argentine has regularly been linked with United throughout his career, having built a close relationship with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, under INEOS, there will be one big question about the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.

According to the aforementioned report from The Times, Pochettino wanted more control over transfers at Chelsea, which the club did not agree to, ultimately leading to the joint decision to let him depart.

Of course, Ten Hag has had a stronghold on transfer activity since he moved to Old Trafford. Antony, Lisandro Martínez and Sofyan Amrabat were all targets of the manager.

However, INEOS are aiming to change things. Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth will lead a team that is in charge of footballing operations, including recruitment. It is well-reported that the new co-owners at Old Trafford want a head coach rather than a manager.

This is something that has attracted the likes of Thomas Tuchel; however, it could appear to be a problem for Pochettino, considering how his Blues exit materialised.

Of course, there is an argument that the manager must have some input into signings and departures. Yet, INEOS must assess whether the power they want a possible Ten Hag replacement to have fits into Pochettino’s wishes.