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Football London
Football London
Sport
Lee Wilmot & Bobby Vincent

Man United face 'painful change' if Mauricio Pochettino replaces Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

There has already been plenty of speculation around Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United future this season.

And that was only heightened when the Red Devils were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal at the weekend.

United are 15th in the Premier League with just seven points from six games and have yet to win at home in the league this season, losing to Tottenham and Crystal Palace and drawing with Chelsea before that Arsenal defeat.

Solskjaer is under intense scrutiny, and former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino's appearance on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football did not help matters.

Pochettino, who has been out of work since being sacked by Spurs in November last year, has persistently been linked with the Old Trafford hot seat.

Mauricio Pochettino's last Spurs press conference

And while Pochettino would not be drawn on any jobs he might move into into in the coming weeks or months, he did go into detail about what it is like taking over at a new club.

And he warned United that they were in for "painful change" if and when they did decide to dispense with Solskjaer's services.

He said: "Tottenham was an amazing job, more than five years that we really enjoyed from day one. All the people and the staff there that were helping from day one, to us, to help us be successful. Then, the players, they were amazing too. We had a group with different habits, the players were not responsible for the habits they adopted, it’s always who leads the club.

"Then, you need to create the line from the top and to be strong in your principle and the way you’re going to develop and lead the way things happen.

"That was amazing, to have this facility, to feel free to create something special in Tottenham, that was amazing. Then, of course, in all change, it’s always painful, but when you arrive at a new club, you need to make some changes.

"If you arrive at the beginning, it’s easier, but if you arrive in the middle, the same, you need to start to build and that’s why it’s so important to create a big platform and that’s what we really believe. For the coaching staff, it’s about building the platform where the players can feel comfortable and can improve, it’s so important.

"From day one when you accept the challenge, you need to feel like it’s your responsibility. Whatever happens, you need to accept it’s your job to try and change things, if you want to change things."

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