Jan Vertonghen believes Manchester United made a big mistake in failing to prise Mauricio Pochettino from Tottenham.
Pochettino had many admirers at boardroom level at Old Trafford when they were seeking a successor to Louis van Gaal, but the hierarchy eventually hired Jose Mourinho in the summer.
Fifth-placed Spurs travel north on Sunday, one position above United in the Premier League table and looking to move nine points clear of Mourinho’s side.
Pochettino has spoken often of his desire to build Tottenham into one of the strongest teams in Europe. He believes the club’s academy, state-of-the-art training ground and new stadium – which they expect to occupy from the 2018-19 season – will enable him to achieve that goal.
The Argentine signed a new five-year deal worth about £5.5million per year in May. But before that he had been strongly linked with a move to United – and Vertonghen admitted he feared Pochettino would leave.
“When the rumours were growing you were always worried, especially with this manager,” Vertonghen told Standard Sport. “If I were Manchester United, I would have tried to take him from us. Everyone can see what he is able to do with a team.
“We at Tottenham are very happy he stayed. He signed a long-term deal like so many of the other players, and it is good to have that stability within the club.”
Vertonghen was part of a winning Tottenham team on his first trip to Old Trafford with the club, a 3-2 victory in September 2012.
The Belgium defender was originally credited with the opening goal in that match, although it was subsequently ruled an own-goal by Jonny Evans.
Vertonghen has clashed with Mourinho during his time in England. The 29-year-old had an altercation with Fernando Torres, who was then at Chelsea, during a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane in September 2013, which earned Torres a second yellow card.
Mourinho was in charge of Chelsea at the time and called Vertonghen “a disgrace” for his role in the incident, accusing the Spurs man of “[pretending] to be injured”.
Vertonghen said: “He is a great coach first of all, who has done great things with different teams. He has shown how good he is and he is a colourful character, but football needs that. He says things in the media, but that is part of the job and he plays it the way he wants to.”