Poch is top man
knows he will need time to tempt Pochettino to United.
Starsport understands Pochettino met his chairman Daniel Levy recently to discuss the level of compensation Spurs would demand to let him go.
Levy will be loath to lose Pochettino, who signed a five-year deal in May, with Spurs set to move into their new £1bn stadium.
It is unlikely Levy would have a choice, though, if the ex-Southampton boss made it clear he wanted to leave.
Yesterday, Pochettino refused to pledge his long-term future to Spurs.
“It’s not in my hands how to manage all of these rumours,” he said. “I am not creating rumours, I am here.
“Nobody in football can guarantee you are going to be here tomorrow. In football I say today is white, tomorrow is black. What is going to happen in the summer? What is going to happen tomorrow? No one knows.”
With the Norwegian season over, United expect to strike a deal with Molde for Solskjaer, who is still hugely popular at United after helping the club seal the treble in 1999.
United will appoint a director of football before the start of next season to work alongside their next boss, a move which Mourinho rejected.
They have targeted Paul Mitchell, who worked with Pochettino at Saints and Spurs before joining RB Leipzig.
Woodward is desperate to restructure the management set-up at United and rates Mitchell, who helped Spurs land Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld.
Woodward is convinced Pochettino has all the attributes to make United great again and is willing to make him the highest-paid boss in world football.
He is under huge pressure to make the right appointment as he searches for his fourth boss in five seasons since Ferguson retired.
Mourinho, who will pocket £15m in compensation after only signing a new deal 11 months ago, was axed after a woeful season that sees United languishing in sixth place in the table.
He was summoned to the club’s Carrington training complex, where Woodward sacked him face-to-face.
A club statement said: “We would like to thank him for his work during his time at Manchester United and wish him success in the future.”