Graham Potter remained tight-lipped when asked if he had spoken to Manchester United during his return to the public eye, 17 months after his dismissal from Chelsea.
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The 49-year-old was let go just seven months into his role at Stamford Bridge and has been without a job since, choosing to stay out of the spotlight over the past year and a half….Continue Reading
Despite this, Potter’s future has been the focus of much speculation in recent months, with the former Brighton manager linked to several high-profile roles, including positions at Manchester United and the England national team.
Potter was a top candidate on United’s shortlist earlier in the summer, but the club ultimately chose to stand by Erik ten Hag, who had been under pressure after United’s worst-ever Premier League finish last season.
Other managers such as Gareth Southgate, Zinedine Zidane, Mauricio Pochettino, and Thomas Tuchel were also considered for the role.
It is believed that United’s new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, had discussions with Potter even before officially taking his position, as the two share a strong connection from their time at Brighton.
When the subject came up as Potter joined David Jones and Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football for Bournemouth’s match against Southampton, Potter opted to remain discreet in his response.
When asked whether he had spoken with Man United, Potter replied: ‘I think what I’ve read so far in the media, a lot of it is untrue and false.
‘I think I’m the only coach in world football that has been linked with Stoke City and Napoli in the same week! ‘So I take what the media say with a pinch of salt.
‘I’ve had lots of conversations with lots of people and I think for the respects of everybody, it’s best that I keep those private.’
Potter has sympathy for Ten Hag, though believes the pressure the Dutchman faces is a ‘just the reality of life’ for elite-level managers the English top flight.
Asked whether he felt managing the Red Devils was the ‘impossible job’, Potter said: ‘I don’t think anything is impossible but obviously jobs are difficult, that’s just the reality of life in the Premier League.
‘If you’re a big club like Manchester United and you’re not in the top six then there’s always going to be scrutiny.
‘Sometimes you have to look past the results and performances, they’ve missed a lot of chances, maybe they haven’t quite got the points they think they could have got.
‘Sometimes teams go through that. You think can perform your xG but you don’t and then you get a bad day like they did yesterday and all of a sudden the clouds come over pretty quickly and that’s what they have to face.’
Potter is confident Man United’s new sporting director Ashworth has the ideal experience and character to help steer the team back to their former glory.
‘Absolutely. I think Dan is part of a team there as well. I think he will want to support, he will want to help. That’s my experience with Dan,’ he added.
‘I don’t know anything about the context with Manchester United but my experience of Dan from working with him at Brighton was he was very supportive, he would challenge at the right time but help and be there for you.
‘I think football clubs have to create conditions for coaches to be successful as well and that’s what he will try to do as best as he can.’
Potter has not been surprised by the ’emotional’ reaction to Manchester United’s heavy 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at the weekend.
‘The challenge is to try have have some perspective, try to rationalise what has happened and speak logically,’ he continued.
‘After a game everybody is emotional, of course, because football is about emotions, it’s about feelings. Fans are hurting, they want answers, they want to blame somebody.
‘Sometimes it is the manager and sometimes, of course, we make mistakes and we’re not perfect.
‘But it’s part of the job and part of what we sign up for and I’m sure Erik would say the same. It’s what he expects at Manchester United if you don’t win or you don’t play well or you lose. People are going to be critical.
‘I think it was one of those games, whoever lost that game felt they were going to be under pressure. It wasn’t so long back that people were talking about Ange [Postecoglou] having no tactics or no plan B.
‘All of a sudden he’s won four on the trot and now all of a sudden everything is great for him and it’s flipped the other way.
‘You can’t win unless you win. That’s the thing. You need to get enough results to keep you guys [the media] at bay and then you’ve got to work with your players and stick to what you’re doing and take the club forward as best you can.’
