Mauricio Pochettino Confirms He Once Checked Luke Shaw’s Pizza Habits

Mauricio Pochettino appeared to confirm that he went to Luke Shaw’s home while coaching him at Southampton to make sure the young defender was eating properly. The story resurfaced during an appearance on The Overlap, where Gary Neville asked the Argentine about reports that he had intervened after Shaw developed a taste for pizza. Neville framed it as a question about Pochettino’s attention to players’ diets during their time together at St Mary’s. Pochettino gave a coy response, but seemed to acknowledge the tale, saying the two questions put to him were true. Before he could explain further, Roy Keane cut in with a joke that Shaw was still eating pizza at Manchester United, despite the manager’s efforts in Southampton. Keane quickly made clear that he was teasing, and the studio broke into laughter. Shaw made a strong impression under Pochettino and earned a move to Manchester United in 2014. The interview also turned to the manager’s personal routines: Pochettino said he keeps lemons in his office because he believes they help clear bad energy from a room. The conversation comes as Pochettino is being linked with a possible return to the Premier League, with the article describing him as a leading candidate for the Manchester United job. Michael Carrick, who has been in charge, was reportedly at risk of losing the role after being given a short run of matches to make his case. The piece says late comebacks against Roma and Aston Villa had not been enough to settle the club’s decision, following a heavy defeat to Bournemouth. Manchester United were due to face Liverpool after the international break. The pizza anecdote, meanwhile, offered a lighter glimpse of Pochettino’s hands-on approach to his players’ routines—and of the teasing that followed Shaw from Southampton to Old Trafford.