Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel has backed Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo to flourish under new Manchester United boss Mauricio Pochettino. The American icon pointed to Dele Alli’s Tottenham Hotspur rise as proof of the Argentine’s coaching pedigree.
Incoming tactician inherits struggling squad
Friedel believes Pochettino’s arrival on a two-and-a-half-year contract next week can spark a revival at Old Trafford following Thursday’s sacking of Michael Carrick. An eight-match winless Premier League run has left the Red Devils languishing 18th in the table. Rashford has struggled badly during that slump, failing to register a goal or assist across eight appearances in all competitions this term.
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Tottenham blueprint inspires youth revival
Having signed an 18-year-old Alli in 2015, the Argentine guided him to 55 goals and 48 assists in 194 games, plus consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year and Team of the Year honours in 2015-16 and 2016-17 as Spurs finished second once, third twice and reached their maiden Champions League final.
Speaking to Sam Matterface, Gabby Agbonlahor and Scott Minto on talkSPORT, former United States goalkeeper Friedel explained why Rashford and Mainoo can follow suit: “I think as opposed to trying to get a senior player on board, I think he’ll put his arm around some of the younger players that have incredible potential.
“Somebody like Marcus Rashford could really thrive under him if that’s one of the players that Mauricio pinpoints, Mainoo as well, players like that. If you look at what he did with Dele Alli at Spurs when he came in, kind of a similar situation. He’s very good at making players that he wants in his system, in his culture at the club, making them feel a million bucks.
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“He’s excellent at that and his whole staff is very good at that, being compassionate and making you feel wanted, making you feel possibly better than you are while making sure that you’re working hard.
“We’ve watched many Manchester United games and some of the games we’ve actually watched and we’ve come away saying, ‘They’re just getting outworked at times,’ you can’t have that. That’s one part of the game he won’t tolerate at all and it really has no meaning to him what your name is on the back of the shirt at all.”
Contract standoff tests club captain
Attention also turns to how the incoming head coach will handle club captain Bruno Fernandes amid uncertainty over the Portuguese midfielder’s long-term future in Manchester. The skipper has already rejected a second new contract offer from the hierarchy, leaving his current deal set to expire at the end of the season.
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Asked whether Pochettino will want to keep the playmaker around the first-team squad, Friedel added: “I think he’ll want his talent at the football club, but he won’t tolerate it if he does have an ego. I don’t know Bruno personally at all. I think Mauricio’s not a fool. He’ll want the best players on the pitch, but he’ll want them fully committed.
“If they’re not he will work very quickly to get them out the door. I would imagine he will try to work with him at first and if he doesn’t think he’s going to fit then I don’t think it’ll be an issue for him to change him.
“He is a top quality player, we all know that. Mauricio builds a culture at the club. If he’s not going to buy into that then you’ll be out the door.”
Liverpool clash awaits new regime
Pochettino will depart his United States post following their upcoming fixtures against Haiti to begin work in Manchester next week. His reign at Old Trafford kicks off with a daunting Premier League test against fierce rivals Liverpool on November 22. Instilling a relentless work ethic and securing full commitment from his senior stars will be vital to lifting the club out of the relegation zone.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
