If there's one name you can always count on to be courted as the potential next Manchester United manager, it's Mauricio Pochettino.

At this point, he's practically been linked with the club more than Wesley Sneijder, and in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson, almost no one has come up as often.

And speaking of Fergie, with the former Spurs and PSG coach's name floating around Old Trafford once again as Michael Carrick's future looks increasingly tenuous (or at the very least uncertain), the legendary football manager's stance on the Argentine tactician has once again resurfaced.

If these previous opinions and past quotes about Poch still prevail to this day, it seems he couldn't have given a clearer verdict.

Sir Alex Ferguson's Stance on Poch

Yes, despite being given the top job full-time six months ago following a third-place finish after Ruben Amorim's calamitous spell, Carrick now looks like he could soon become the seventh true Man United boss since SAF's two and a half decades at the helm to be sacked.

His former teammate, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, is the next longest-serving in the years since, having similarly been made permanent following an interim renaissance.

As it happens, it wasn't long after Ole was let go following 168 games between 2018 and his emotional farewell video in 2021 that the Scottish sporting icon was first reported to have given 'The Sheriff' his seal of approval.

According to the Daily Star, among several outlets reporting in October of that year, Ferguson had long been a fan of Poch and his style of play.

By all accounts, it seems little had changed by the time he joined and soon left Chelsea 'by mutual consent' after barely one full term, only a few years later in May 2024, with reports claiming that he had once again renewed his personal appeal and vouched for the then-newly-installed co-owners, INEOS, to go and get their man.

As well as labelling Pochettino 'the best manager in the Premier League' during his reign at Tottenham, Ferguson had plenty to say after facing the Argentine's Southampton team in 2013. He raved:

Apart from supposed failed attempts to tempt all three of Mourinho, Pep and Klopp into the role, you could argue there hasn't been as strong a candidate to become the next 'chosen one' since he ultimately handpicked David Moyes as his replacement way back in 2013.

Despite a few cup trophies, no one has ever quite lived up to the enormous expectations that a global franchise this size comes with - but many still feel Pochettino should at least be in the running to take a crack at it.

It's also worth noting that Sir Jim Ratcliffe himself, while not the most popular or successful since buying up part of the club, is said to be a big advocate behind the push to pursue Poch, sharing Ferie's admiration; it's therefore not hard to imagine that both still feel similarly about the 54-year-old to this day.

Carrick's Job Hanging By a Thread

While the decision to stick with Carrick long-term or terminate yet another ex-player-turned-coach's contract is yet to be made, and the likelihood of which direction the board will take is still anyone's guess given how chaotic things are inside Old Trafford at the minute, there is a growing sense around the club that the problems run far deeper than just the players or the manager.

In fact, it's been there for some time, especially within the fan base — you only have to look at the latest wave of protest in green and gold balloons and tennis balls being launched onto the pitch mid-game — but it now seems more apparent than ever to those watching that serious structural change still needs to be carried out for any real progress to be made.

Would Pochettino replacing Carrick with Fergie's blessing be enough to turn the shop around after all this time, or would he just be the latest to become consumed by this mammoth of a task over in the red half of Manchester?