Mauricio Pochettino looked destined for the Man United job after a 'dream' lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2016... overlooked more than once, now the Chelsea boss is looking to pile the misery on Erik ten Hag's strugglers

Traditionally, Manchester United and Chelsea's meeting has been one of the most highly-anticipated fixtures of the entire Premier League season. 

However, in 2023, the match-up between the two top-flight giants offers little more than an analysis of two sides that are struggling to reclaim their former glory. 

Interestingly, things could've been very different for both United and Chelsea - with the Red Devils previously being closely linked with Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino. 

Instead, United opted for Erik ten Hag to lead them into a new era - which has struggled to get going under the the Dutchman's guidance. 

So, here, Mail Sport takes a look at Pochettino's previous links to United and whether the Red Devils were wrong to pass him by. 

To understand Pochettino's (somewhat tenuous) connection with the Red Devils, you have to take yourself back to the Argentine's tenure at Tottenham Hotspur. 

Pochettino was two years into his eventual five-year spell in north London when he was spotted lunching with United legend Sir Alex Ferguson. 

The Red Devils, at the time, were coached by Louis van Gaal however there were growing concerns over his suitability at Old Trafford after a string of poor results.

Pochettino quickly became one of the favourites to succeed the Dutchman, having impressed the nation with his work at Spurs within just two years. 

To the dismay of fans in north London, amid the rumours, the Argentine was spotted with Ferguson at Scott's restaurant in Mayfair before returning to Spurs in the afternoon, according to Sky Sports. 

While some Spurs fans tried to turn a blind eye to the meeting, hearing Pochettino described the lunch as a 'dream' was pretty unavoidable. 

According to The Mirror, he said: 'It was fantastic. It was a dream come true because when I was younger and at the start of my career, he was my inspiration, my reference. 

'And when you can share two hours with the person who is one of the greatest managers in the world of all time you must enjoy it.

'I wanted time to stop, but of course that is impossible. It was fantastic.' 

Pochettino did do his best to appease the Spurs fans, however, as he insisted that Ferguson did not try to persuade him to move to Old Trafford. 

'Did he say "Come to Manchester?" No he didn't,' Pochettino confirmed.

'If you know Sir Alex Ferguson, he is a person that we can all learn from because he has a fantastic history about football, and about life.'

A week after Ferguson and Pochettino's meeting, United parted ways with Van Gaal but opted against approaching the Argentine. Instead, they hired Jose Mourinho. 

Pochettino ended up staying a further three years in north London, during which, there was one other occasion when he was linked with the Old Trafford gig. 

After Mourinho's dismissal in December 2018, Pochettino's name once again cropped up in the list of possible managers to take charge at United. 

Still at Spurs, it would've taken some major negotiating (which is far from easy with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy) to pry Pochettino away from north London. 

And the Argentine made that viewpoint evident when he was quizzed on a potential move up north back in 2018. 

According to The Guardian, Pochettino said: 'In football, no one can guarantee you are going to be here tomorrow. 

'In football, I say today is white, tomorrow is black, you know? What is going to happen in the summer? Or tomorrow? No one knows. 

'What is going to happen is not in our hands – the decision in another club, we don't know. That is not my business and I will not waste time or energy because my focus and energy is in Tottenham.' 

United clearly got the hint and swiftly looked elsewhere before eventually offering interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the full-time gig. 

The Norwegian's spell in charge was far from ideal, however, and within three years United were on the search for another first-team coach. 

And it'll come as no surprise as to which Argentinian's name cropped up on United's shortlist.

This time, Pochettino was not on Spurs' books after getting dismissed from his position in November 2019. 

He spent just over year out of management before returning to the dugout to take the reins at French giants Paris Saint-Germain. 

And, while his tenure at the Parc des Princes wasn't anything to write home about, that didn't stop ex-Spurs boss from, once again, being linked with United. 

Reports from Sky Sports, at the time, suggested that Pochettino was 'interested' in taking the job at Old Trafford following Solskjaer's November 2021 dismissal. 

The Argentine had only been in Paris for 10 months before claims arose that he was interested in the United job, as club legends quickly urged him to make the move. 

Former defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports: 'I think Mauricio Pochettino - although he'd never say it - would leave to come to Man Utd on a five-year deal tomorrow,' Neville told Sky Sports.

'He'd look at that group of players, he'd look at the club and he'd realise he'd probably be able to achieve more than he wants at Manchester United in terms of a project. 

 'At PSG you are on a season by season, "You've got to win the Champions League or you're out", type of model.

'I don't think that suits Pochettino. I think he would absolutely come to Manchester United on a five-year deal, with backing behind him.'

Despite Neville's urges, Pochettino was not offered the United job and, instead, the Red Devils welcomed current manager Erik ten Hag to the club in May 2022. 

Pochettino, meanwhile, remained at PSG until the end of the 2021-22 season before leaving the club and getting snapped up by United's league rivals, Chelsea. 

The Blues have had a shaky start under the Argentine's guidance, however, it's fair to say that Pochettino has managed to steady the ship after failed tenures from Graham Potter and Frank Lampard last term. 

When looking at Pochettino's first 14 games at Chelsea and comparing them with Ten Hag's start at United - it perhaps suggests that the Red Devils missed a trick. 

While the Dutchman had more (eight) wins out of his opening 14 games than Pochettino (five), the Blues boss leads his side in a number of statistics. 

According to Opta, their Expected Goals is far superior to that of United's in Ten Hag's first 14 games. Chelsea now have an xG of 28.25, whereas United's was 19.25. 

With a similar Expected Goals Against as well, it sees the Blues boast an Expected Goal Difference of 9.62, while United's was a mere 1.76. 

On top of this, Pochettino's side also boast a higher passing accuracy and average possession, as they continue to find their feet under the former Spurs boss.