The summer of 2022 promises to be one great intrigue for Manchester United and their supporters.
Not only do they have the task of trying to strengthen the first-team squad in a number of areas, but they also have the small matter of appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's permanent successor following his sacking back in November.
Ajax boss Erik ten Hag and Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino are understood to be the current frontrunners to land the role, with United big admirers of the pair of them, especially the latter, whom they tried to prize away from PSG shortly after Solskjaer's tenure was brought to an end, even if their efforts failed to materialise.
Pochettino, who is understood to be unsettled in the French capital, was keen to return to England and grace the Old Trafford technical area back in November, meaning United's chances of luring him to the club in a few months' time are strong, one would think.
Although Pochettino, who remains eager to take over the reins at Old Trafford, only has two trophies displayed on his CV, he is considered as an elite-level manager and one that will continue to get better over time, as proven by the trajectory his career has been on in recent years.
Despite his time in charge of Tottenham not producing any silverware, it was Spurs' development under his stewardship, plus the rise of several homegrown talents, that made his time in north London so admirable and impressive.
Players such as Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Harry Kane all took their individual games to the next level under the Argentine, whilst the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Cameron Carter-Vickers also experienced life in the first-team from time to time.
But what made Pochettino invest so much time, faith and trust in homegrown talent, when other managers would have overlooked them in pursuit of big-name stars from the continent? The answer: Sir Alex Ferguson.
"There is big pressure to win when you are a big club," Pochettino said, speaking back in 2017. "But for me the best example in football in many years was Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson – and what he created with young talent from the academy or from England. It created the core of a team that won everything. That is a good example for me.
"From day one, when we arrived at Southampton, we always said to you [the media], the fans and the coaches that the most important thing was to show belief and faith in the young talent in England. One of our challenges in the last four years was to show the English people that the talent exists here.
"I think Southampton and Tottenham are showing that, if you believe and work and spend time, they have the same talent as in Argentina, Spain and Brazil."
Considering how England's national team has developed over the last few years, reaching both a World Cup semi-final and the final of the European Championship, Pochettino had a point.
There is an undisputed amount of young and exciting talent emerging from academies up and down this country, and United are fortunate enough to boast plenty of it themselves, both with players that have already forced their way into the first-team and others that are looking to follow suit.
Reflecting on Pochettino's most successful Spurs team, it was built on the likes of Danny Rose, Trippier, Alli and Kane. The core of the team was English and it meant something to the Argentine, so much so that he was genuinely proud of it.
Thus, if he was to be installed as United's next manager, it would be music to the ears of several youngsters, such as Ethan Laird, Brandon Williams and James Garner, as well as the likes of Dean Henderson, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood, all whom are already members of the first-team squad.
Furthermore, being inspired by Ferguson's philosophy to promote from within is bound to guarantee Pochettino immediate support from the United faithful and the players.
But whilst it remains important to utilise homegrown talent and make them feel valued, foreign imports, such as Raphael Varane and Bruno Fernandes, will remain important to United and Pochettino, just as Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min did under his watch at Spurs.
However, by having already declared his admiration for Ferguson's approach of building from within, either with homegrown talent or academy graduates, it bodes well for United's future. The first team is already awash with English talent that has not yet reached its ceiling and the academy is producing homegrown talent that has the potential to become household names in years to come.
Furthermore, Pochettino has not just said that he is a fan of homegrown talent, he has proven it with his actions and willingness to build his teams around it.
Bumps in the road are bound to be encountered, but successfully luring Pochettino to Old Trafford could be United's smartest move in years, and one that would set them up for success and would, more importantly, give them an identity that everyone would recognise.
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