Mauricio Pochettino has reignited speculation over a possible return to English football, revealing a charming behind-the-scenes encounter with Sir Alex Ferguson and reaffirming his desire to one day win the Premier League.

Speaking to FourFourTwo in a wide-ranging interview published in issue 391 of the magazine, the current USMNT head coach described how Ferguson personally reached out to arrange a lunch meeting during Pochettino's time at Tottenham Hotspur.

"Through the secretary of the League Managers Association, Sir Alex asked for my phone number so that we could have lunch," Pochettino said. "It was a meeting in London between colleagues, between a genius and an apprentice."

The bill that settled a World Cup trivia duel

The lunch produced an anecdote that speaks as much to Pochettino's knowledge of football history as it does to his competitive spirit. When the two managers moved to settle the bill, neither was willing to let the other pay.

"When we asked for the bill, I wanted to take it, and so did he. We started arguing over who'd pay! He said, 'Stop Mauricio, I'm going to ask you a question. If you answer correctly, you pay. If not, I'll pay.' He said, 'Name an Argentine player who scored in the 1930 World Cup final.' I replied, 'Stabile.' He couldn't believe it. The name came to me out of nowhere! In the end, I paid the bill."

That encounter, long rumoured to have been a pivotal moment in Manchester United's thinking about long-term managerial succession, occurred years before the job ever became available. Despite subsequent spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Pochettino never did land at Old Trafford.

Premier League ambition remains burning

Now guiding the United States through a World Cup cycle — the USMNT hosted the tournament earlier this year — Pochettino has not hidden his appetite for a return to club football at the highest level in England.

"Right now it's about enjoying the World Cup," he told FourFourTwo. "After that, I've always said I came so close to winning the Premier League and Champions League, and want to try again. I'd like to be part of a project with the ambition of winning both."

Those comments carry added weight given the situation at Manchester United. Michael Carrick is expected to leave his role at Old Trafford during November's international break, reopening the question of who will lead the club into its next chapter.

Pochettino's USMNT side are set to face Haiti in a Concacaf Nations League double header this month, keeping him occupied on the international stage — but the pull of a Premier League return is impossible to ignore.