‘TOTTENHAM MY ONLY FOCUS’
surround Paul Pogba, for instance. Pochettino showed a very different approach towards keeping a star player happy.
He sidestepped speculation about Christian Eriksen’s reluctance to commit his future to the club by instead recalling a dinner he, his wife and his assistant Jesus Perez all had with the Denmark star (below) in Copenhagen last summer – very much the personal touch.
“Christian is a very clever person and, of course, there’s going to be a decision from him and from the club, and I hope he can be committed to us long-term,” Pochettino said.
“But he is a very special person and you need to give him freedom, like on the pitch. You cannot put him in a box. You need to trust him. Like my MANCHESTER UNITED target Mauricio Pochettino insists he will be fully focused on Tottenham tomorrow.
The Argentinian is No.1 on United’s list to replace Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in the summer but knows his Spurs side cannot afford a slip-up as they try to chase down Liverpool in the Premier League title race. The clash at dog, in the park. I trust my dog. I say, ‘Go, I trust you’.”
He insisted on following this up by showing assembled reporters a picture of his Rhodesian Ridgeback, Sansa, on his phone.
“And when I say whole family, Sansa is part of that,” the Spurs boss said.
With the same enthusiasm, Pochettino then recalled another recent meal – this time with a managerial legend.
“Sir Alex Ferguson was always one of the people I admired the most – an inspiration,” he added.
“I was so lucky to share with him a very nice lunch in London. After that, we keep a very good relationship.
“It’s nothing to hide because we are football people and I admire people like him.” Wembley tomorrow is United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s biggest test since taking over before Christmas.
Solskjaer makes no secret of wanting the permanent job himself but Pochettino said: “You cannot be focused on the rumours.
“For Ole it’s a massive challenge to manage Manchester United, like it is for me to manage Tottenham.”