Mauricio Pochettino not ruling out managing Real Madrid

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says he is committed to the club – but did not rule out the possibility of managing Real Madrid one day.

Pochettino has been linked with the La Liga side, who are struggling under Zinedine Zidane this season.

Asked about the Real job, Pochettino said: “My commitment is massive [to Spurs]. I am working like I am going to be here forever.



“But in the end you never know what is going to happen in football.”

Pochettino’s Spurs contract runs until 2021 but he added: “Tomorrow [Tottenham] chairman Daniel Levy could have a bad night and say, ‘Oh I am going to sack Mauricio’, then I look stupid saying I am not going to work in one place or another or another.”

Frenchman Zidane said he is enduring his “worst moment” as boss and described the side’s current situation as a “fiasco”.

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Real have won back-to-back Champions Leagues and a Spanish league title under the France great, but are 19 points off leaders Barcelona and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Leganes.

Spurs are currently fifth in the Premier League and beat and drew with Real in the group stages of this season’s Champions League.

Former Argentina defender Pochettino started his career at Newell’s Old Boys in his homeland, before going on to play for Barcelona’s city rivals Espanyol in Spain and Paris St-Germain and Bordeaux in France.

And although he did not rule himself out of potentially taking over at Real at some point, he said there are some clubs he could never manage at.

Pochettino added: “I am so clear. I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol. I grew up in Newell’s Old Boys and will never manage Rosario Central.

“That is my decision because I prefer to work on my farm in Argentina than in some places.”