Friday 13 May 2016 17:05, UK
Mauricio Pochettino says meeting Sir Alex Ferguson was "a dream come true" and insists they did not discuss the Manchester United job.
The Tottenham boss briefly sparked alarm among supporters when he was pictured leaving a London restaurant with Ferguson in midweek.
Pochettino put minds at rest days later by confirming he had signed a five-year contract already verbally agreed with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
And now the Argentine says the subject of a possible move to Old Trafford one day was not even on the agenda.
"Did he ask about Manchester United? No," Pochettino said at his press conference ahead of Spurs' final-day trip to Newcastle.
"If you know Sir Alex Ferguson, he is a person we can all learn from because he has a fantastic history about football and about life. For me, it was a dream come true.
"When I was young, when I started my career as a manager, he was always my inspiration, my reference and when you can share two hours with a person who, for me, was the greatest manager in the world, the history of football, you can only enjoy.
"It was difficult because I wanted to stop time but it was impossible. It was fantastic."
Pochettino is already certain to deliver Spurs' highest finish of the Premier League era, and a point at relegated Newcastle will guarantee they end the season above Arsenal for the first time in 21 years.
"The supporters and their feelings are very important but we are professional," Pochettino said. "To move on, we need to sometimes put out the emotions, to be clever, we need to fight first to improve ourselves and be strong in our ideas.
"I can understand it, for our supporters it's special to be above Arsenal, but I want to be second not because we'll be above our enemy, our opponent, but because we are ambitious.
"Maybe one day Arsenal finish eighth, we finish seventh, yes we're above but it's not a success for us."
