Mauricio Pochettino has revealed the role he had to play in Marcelo Bielsa's appointment at Leeds United.
The duo have a close relationship, with Bielsa having signed Pochettino as a teenager at Newell's Old Boys in Argentina.
That friendship has continued into Pochettino's managerial career, with the former Spurs and Southampton boss paying a glowing tribute to his friend on Sky Sports' Monday night football.
Pochettino also revealed that Bielsa consulted him in 2017 when working at Lille over a potential move to England.
With the then-Spurs boss telling Bielsa he would be a good fit in English football, the Argentine eventually agreed to take over at Leeds in 2018.
With question marks over whether Bielsa's high-energy football can be sustained over a season in the Premier League, Pochettino argued the 65-year-old should suit English football perfectly.
"It’s a really enjoyable game every time you watch Leeds," Pochettino said.
"Of course, I repeat again, it’s difficult for me to speak about Marcelo because he’s like my football father. I think I am so grateful.
"That is the main challenge for him, to keep being consistent because it’s a tough game to play and to develop the game he wants to apply, you need to put - not only the focus and concentration - but the physical demand is so, so high.
"I need to say when he was in France, he called me and he was asking me about England.
"I said, ‘Marcelo, you can be very successful here’, I talked very highly about the English culture, the English players and the identity.
"You need to keep that because it’s the identity of the Premier League and I said he will fit perfectly. He’s very exciting to watch."
