Maurucio Pochettino (right) was first mentioned as a contender to manage Manchester United when Louis van Gaal was sacked in May 2016
When Mauricio Pochettino was asked the three Premier League managers he would have loved to have played for, he was unequivocal.
"Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson," replied Pochettino, who is set to be the next manager of Manchester United.
In 2023, the Argentine - then at Chelsea, and dressed in full Blues training gear - was being interviewed by Sky Sports. Still he felt a need to express his adoration for Ferguson.
Six years prior to that interview, while managing Tottenham, he had shared lunch with the legendary former United manager.
"When I was young, when I started my career as a manager, he was always my inspiration, my reference," Pochettino said.
"And when you can share two hours with a person who was the greatest manager in the history of football, you can only enjoy."
Hiring United managers has been complicated since Ferguson's departure in 2013, and one of the most prominent complications has been a back-and-forth around the club's DNA.
For some, winning by any means necessary should take precedence, while others believe the style of play and cultural heritage of United's most successful period is vital to the club's identity.
In recent years, United's managerial merry-go-round has alternated between European coaches with their own fixed styles of play, and former players from the Ferguson era.
But between his tactics of choice and his adoration for the former United boss, Pochettino may be uniquely placed to bridge the gap between both camps.
Pochettino a decade in Man Utd's making - but Carrick deserves better
Michael Carrick's United produced a series of good results to finish last season with a run unmatched by any other team in the league. They looked great, but it was a greatness built on attacking in a transition-heavy manner.
Under Carrick, in games they had less than 50% of the ball, they only lost once. In those 13 games, they boasted a win-rate of 62%. This dropped to 36% in games they had the majority of possession.
This style of play suited their direct attackers and protected their defenders.
At the same time, Casemiro's set-piece prowess provided United a reliable way to break the deadlock against deep defences - something they have struggled with this season.
With United a goal up, opponents stepped forward, giving Carrick's men more space. They could play to their strengths again, attacking quickly. It worked.
But teams at the top are reluctant to play in this way. Carrick's vision for United was a side that played slick football, with short passes in build-up intuitively, referencing Paris St-Germain's midfield three as a source of inspiration.
Building up in this manner, to entice and escape from pressure, before looking to find the forwards quickly, was the plan Carrick was working towards.
This didn't come to fruition and trying to take United from a successful counter-attacking side to one that could reliably beat teams while keeping the ball was the same hurdle that undid Ole Gunnar Solskjar and Erik ten Hag.
Former players under Sir Alex Ferguson, both Ole Gunnar Solskjar and Michael Carrick leaned into United’s historic style when crafting their game-models
Pochettino gives United an interesting solution to this problem.
In his own words, he has described his sides as needing "to be protagonists, always press high, work hard and be dynamic". He refers to himself as a "disciple" of the legendary Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa, who he played for.
If you wanted an immediate comparison in the Premier League to a coach who resembles Pochettino's ideas in possession, it would be worth looking at Liverpool's Andoni Iraola, who similarly cites Bielsa as his reference.
These are coaches who, while taking the initiative, encourage vertical football. For as different as the clubs are, both the fans of United and Liverpool have enjoyed success when their teams have played high-octane football.
This summer's World Cup was a strong showcase of Pochettino's style of play and his recent tactical adaptation.
Rather than a fixed, positional style of play - akin to the work of somebody like Manchester City's Enzo Maresca - Pochettino's USA had only certain players being tasked with holding their position.
This approach posed problems for teams who defended in a zonal manner - defending specific areas rather than
