Mauricio Pochettino has previously made his feelings clear on Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes has previously opened up on what happened when Mauricio Pochettino tried to sign him.

Pochettino, who left Chelsea earlier this month after less than a year in charge, is being linked with the Manchester United job following reports surrounding Erik ten Hag's future.

The Dutchman will be sacked as United manager after Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City, according toThe Guardian.

United have identified Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna as potential replacements for Ten Hag, according to the above report.

In fact, Pochettino is interested in talking to United if they decide to part ways with their current manager, say The Times.

Pochettino, meanwhile, is a big fan of United's current captain.

Back in the summer of 2019, when Bruno Fernandes was playing for Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, the Argentine wanted to bring the midfielder to Spurs, although no fee could be agreed.

Three years later, Fernandes revealed that Pochettino was "the man who wanted him there".

Speaking to The Athletic, he said: "Obviously I wanted to go to the Premier League. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me.

"The president (Frederico Varandas) spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day.

"It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry. Luckily for me, the manager (Marcel Keizer) was the right one at the right time."

Image credit: Getty

Fernandes, of course, would join United in January 2020 for £47 million. It turned out to be money well spent.

In the above interview, the midfielder recalled those first conversations surrounding a move to Old Trafford.

“At the beginning of January, my agent said, ‘You don’t need to worry, because any time I bring you a club, it will be a dream club for you’.

"He knew that the dream club was Man United. Ole was a big part of that because he actually went to see my games.

"He saw me moaning a lot in that game against Porto — I moaned a lot against their players, against the referees.”

Topics: Bruno Fernandes, Mauricio Pochettino, Manchester United