Gary Neville: Manchester United Should Target Mauricio Pochettino as Next Boss

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes the club should target Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager after the Red Devils sacked Jose Mourinho on Tuesday.

United announced his departure in a statement and said a caretaker would take temporary charge for the remainder of this campaign.

When the time comes for a permanent replacement to be appointed, Neville was clear in his choice, as he told Sky Sports (h/t the Mirror's Andrew Gilpin):

"For me, the next manager of Man United should be Mauricio Pochettino.

"When I look at values at Man United, I look at his belief in young players. His performance levels, style of play, the way he's carried himself.

"I was fortunate enough to spend two or three days at Tottenham's training ground.

"My view is he is somebody who brings the three key principals of the club: style of play, promotion of youth and winning football matches. He is the person who is the outstanding candidate."

Neville gave further reaction to Mourinho's departure:

With United waiting until the summer to make a permanent appointment, Bleacher Report's Dean Jones believes the club are of a similar opinion to Neville in regards to their next manager:

The Argentinian, who managed Espanyol and Southampton before joining Spurs in 2014, is yet to win a trophy as a coach.

However, given his transformative work at Tottenham, it's little wonder they might want him at Old Trafford.

Spurs were a consistent top-six finisher in the Premier League prior to his arrival, but they've now finished in the top three in each of the last three seasons. Spurs occupy third in this campaign so far, six points behind leaders Liverpool.

Pochettino has achieved that despite the club having a net spend on transfers of just £29 million since his arrival, per Sky Sports (h/t the Evening Standard), developing the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli into top players in the process.

Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail and sports journalist Jonas Giaever agree with Neville's assessment of the 46-year-old:

The difficulty United face in recruiting him will be in prising him away from Tottenham, where he signed a five-year deal in May.

Radio DJ Ed Smith suggested Spurs are likely to be protective of their asset in light of Mourinho's departure from United:

Following delays, the club are hoping to move into their new stadium before the end of the season. They'll want Pochettino to oversee that transition and continue his project there to further establish Spurs among the English and European elite in the coming years.

Despite United's struggles since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they will likely still be a tempting prospect for the manager.

Tottenham can play hardball with the Red Devils in a bid to keep him, but they will also need to make him feel valued and show him ambition beyond the stadium move.

Spurs didn't sign a single player last summer, but they will need to back him if they want to keep him happy and expect him to continue doing such an impressive job.