Pochettino's refusal as Henry makes damning claim about Man Utd manager target

Manchester United are just days away from a trip to Premier League leaders Chelsea and have yet to appoint a new manager as successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

A number of candidates have been linked with the post on an interim basis, while Mauricio Pochettino is the No.1 target as the club seeks a long-term replacement.

Pochettino remains in the dugout at Paris Saint-Germain, and saw his team surrender a lead to lose 2-1 away to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night amid growing speculation.

Questions about the Argentine's future were inevitable in Manchester - but the answers he provided were not necessarily the ones people wanted to hear.

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PSG's players reportedly expect Pochettino to be replaced at the helm, despite the team sitting top of Ligue 1 by a significant margin.

There is a suggestion that the former Tottenham Hotspur manager has been cramped since replacing Thomas Tuchel in the French capital.

Indeed, while a summer move had previously looked like the more likely outcome, there has been significant noise about a mid-season switch.

Following the defeat in Manchester, which wasn't enough to prevent PSG progressing to the knockout stages, Pochettino was asked by Canal+ about his future.

He was quizzed on whether he would still be in charge at the Parc des Princes for the last-16 match in the new year, but avoided the question with a smile and walked away.

The 49-year-old was similarly evasive in his post-match press conference, explaining: "The players know very well our situation".

"We know their situation. We are living in a business that rumours are there, sometimes negative, sometimes positive.

"That is not a thing to talk about - the rumours."

The PSG manager's comments came in the light of Thierry Henry underlining the issues at hand in Paris.

"Can the boss be allowed to have a go at them, or do the players rule?" the Frenchman asked on CBS Sports' Golazo show, drawing parallels with Pochettino's predecessors' time at PSG.

"If at the top the coach cannot be strong in terms of what he wants to do and how he likes to play and he feels the pressure of maybe being happy only with some, then it becomes very difficult.

"You saw everyone who left Paris Saint-Germain went on to win in Europe, [Unai] Emery and Tuchel.

"Pochettino is not allowed to be Pochettino at times with that team."

Club Brugge's defeat at home to RB Leipzig ensured PSG made it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League despite their defeat, and they could face Manchester United in the next round.

United will finish top of their group after winning away to Villarreal on Tuesday, while Pochettino's team can no longer catch Manchester City.

Both teams still have one match remaining in the group stage, but their respective positions have already been confirmed and could well see them face off in the new year; the question is which side will Pochettino be on?