Rooney: Manchester United should go 'all out' to hire Pochettino

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney knows who he wants manning the touchline at Old Trafford if current interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn't a permanent solution.

In an interview with ESPN FC, the now-D.C. United attacker opined for the Red Devils to do everything possible to pry Mauricio Mochettino away from Tottenham Hotspur.

"First of all you have to give Ole an opportunity and that's a discussion that has to take place with the Glazers," Rooney said. "But if I had the opportunity to appoint someone, I'd go all out for Pochettino. ... You see some of the young players he has brought through at Tottenham, at Southampton that have gone on to play for the national team, so I think he ticks every box in terms of his quality as a coach, but also his willingness to give youth a chance."

Plucking Pochettino out of north London, however, won't be a straightforward task. The Spurs boss admitted earlier this month he would be in favor of a 20-year reign at Tottenham and even hinted at the possibility of ending his career with the club.

"I hope, or I wish to be here 20 years, and decide to leave or to finish my career here," Pochettino said, courtesy of the BBC. "I am so focused here, and want to help the club to achieve what the club want to be in history."

And while United are reportedly acclimating to the idea of Pochettino staying with Spurs long term, any summer push for his signature could still be met with contention elsewhere; fellow European heavyweights Real Madrid were also once reportedly interested in the Argentine to replace Zinedine Zidane, though the Spanish side eventually settled on Santiago Solari instead.