Mauricio Pochettino once banned Luke Shaw from doing one thing before he joined Man Utd

Mauricio Pochettino went to extraordinary lengths to ensure Luke Shaw ate the right food at Southampton, and his comments are even more fitting now that he's the strongest contender to replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

According to David Ornstein, United are finalising a deal to appoint Pochettino if they decide to sack Carrick. Sir Jim Ratcliffe will hold a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox in Monaco on Wednesday, where they will recommend parting ways with the 45-year-old.

Carrick is on the brink of being relieved of his duties at Old Trafford after recording their worst start to a Premier League campaign. They've collected just one victory and eight points from their opening 10 matches, needing a miracle to turn their season around and qualify for the Champions League.

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Mauricio Pochettino banned Luke Shaw from eating pizza at Southampton

On Tuesday, it emerged that United would have to pay a compensation fee worth $10 million (£7.5m) to buy Pochettino out of his four-year contract with the USMNT after he signed an extension in August.

The Argentine is said to be open to taking the role at Old Trafford if offered it and will not only bring his own coaching staff to the club, but also enforce some strict rules that his players must follow.

For example, during his 16-month spell in charge of Southampton from January 2013 to May 2014, Pochettino famously stopped Luke Shaw eating pizza - and even went to extreme measures to ensure the left-back wasn't.

The story was brought up on an episode of The Overlap, where Gary Neville asked: “Was it true that when you was at Southampton like with Luke Shaw, that you used to go round to his house because he was eating pizzas and you used to make the players eat the right foods all the time? Is that true about the Luke Shaw story or is that a myth?”

Pochettino confirmed the tale, saying: "Yes. It’s like another thing that makes us proud because OK, you asked two questions yes.”

Shaw cemented his place under the Argentine tactician as an 18-year-old at Southampton, making 35 Premier League appearances during the 2013/14 campaign before completing a £30million move to Manchester United in June 2014 - world record for a teenager at the time - a month after Pochettino joined Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year deal.

12 years after working with the Englishman at St Mary's, there is a huge chance he could reunite with the left-back at Old Trafford, and he will have to abide by some of his strict policies once more.

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Mauricio Pochettino has given his players harsh punishments

At his past clubs, Pochettino has generally preferred personal accountability and unique physical or social forfeits instead of traditional monetary fines.

During his spell as manager of Chelsea, after Nicolas Jackson picked up an accumulation of yellow cards for dissent and arguing with referees in 2023, he forced the striker to do a grueling, long-distance cross-country run in training.

The Argentine famously matched the discipline by buying dinner for the entire squad and staff because he couldn't run due to his own touchline ban.

Jackson was also involved in another telling-off from the manager. In their clash against Everton in 2024, Jackson and Noni Madueke aggressively pushed and shoved each other to take a penalty instead of deferring to designated penalty taker Cole Palmer.

He did not issue individual fines, instead slamming them for their actions in public and private, claiming he was "so upset" over the dispute after the Blues smashed Everton 6-0.

"I can't accept this kind of behaviour," said Pochettino. "I told them it's the last time I want to see this kind of behaviour."

"It is impossible to have this type of behaviour after this performance. If we want to be a great team, we need to change and think in a collective way."

Should he become Man United manager, expect the 54-year-old to use harsh punishments on his players for acting out of line.