Manchester United news: Mauricio Pochettino 'ahead' of Jose Mourinho in Ed Woodward's search for next manager

Pochettino has impressed since arriving at Southampton in 2013 and Spurs' strong season has jettisoned the Argentine ahead of Mourinho in the race to replace Louis van Gaal

Mauricio Pochettino is believed to have moved ahead of Jose Mourinho in the race to become the next Manchester United manager (Getty Images)

Manchester United could abandon any plans to name Jose Mourinho as their next manager regardless of whether Louis van Gaal sees out the final year of his contract in order to pursue Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine has impressed since arriving in the Premier League with Southampton in January 2013, but it his work at White Hart Lane that has caught the eye across Europe with Spurs challenging for a first Premier League title.

They remain five points behind league leaders Leicester City, but Pochettino has drawn the plaudits for developing a young core of English players that have not only inspired Spurs to their title-challenging form this season, but had a positive impact on the national team.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has trained 11 of the last 19 England debutants (Getty Images)

Pochettino’s efforts have already caught the eye of officials at United, and The Sun reports that United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has contacted those who have worked with the 44-year-old Argentine in an effort to understand whether he is a better fit for the club than the former Chelsea manager Mourinho.

The Portuguese has been without a club since he was sacked by the Blues in December, and despite being repeatedly linked with the United job should Woodward lose patience with Van Gaal, he is yet to receive any offer from the Premier League outfit over a future role. Valencia are known to want Mourinho to replace Gary Neville after they sacked the former United defender this week, but Mourinho is believed to have given the club a May deadline to approach him before opening the door to other job offers.

With Mourinho’s patience appearing to be wearing thin, Pochettino could prove to be the easier option as well as the more suitable. Targeting Pochettino as their next manager would allow Van Gaal to see out his contract through to the end of next season providing they finish in the top four this term as Pochettino will be more than happy to remain at Spurs, and his ability to develop a young yet confident and attacking-minded side will fit in with the apparent ‘Manchester United way’.