LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur's players feared they would lose manager Mauricio Pochettino to Manchester United last season, according to defender Jan Vertonghen.
Pochettino was mooted as a replacement for Louis van Gaal and the speculation increased when he had lunch with United director and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson in May.
But the Spurs manager signed a five-year contract in the same month and United appointed Jose Mourinho after sacking Van Gaal in the summer.
Asked if the players were worried about Pochettino's future, Vertonghen said: "Yes -- when the rumours were getting bigger we were always worried, especially with this manager.