Premier League: Mauricio Pochettino to reassess Southampton future in summer

Maurico Pochettino says he cannot guarantee he will be at Southampton beyond the end of this season.

Relationship

Pochettino confirmed he had spoken to Cortese about his decision but would not say whether it took a pep-talk from the Italian to persuade him to stay. "What's quite clear is that I have a good relationship with him," he said. "He agrees with my decision to stay and there's nothing else I can say at the moment. "He only asked me for one thing and that's to try and win on Saturday." Some reports this week suggested Liebherr's desire to sell Southampton had contributed to a deteriorating relationship with Cortese, but Pochettino stonewalled when asked why his boardroom ally had resigned. "I do not know the answer," he said. "It's difficult to say. I found out about his decision just as you did." Questions about Liebherr's plans for the club met with a similar response, but the manager did reveal he retains the full support of the owner. He said: "I spoke to her five minutes ago, and she transmitted her full trust, not just to me but to my staff and the people working here. We haven't had much time to think about the future."