Former Tottenham head of recruitment Paul Mitchell admits he is 'flattered' by reports linking him with a move to become Manchester United's first director of football.
The club have made no secret of their desires to bring someone to Old Trafford to help out chief executive Ed Woodward with the recruitment process.
Mitchell currently works for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig but given the 37-year-old is a 'Manchester boy', he is emerging as a strong candidate for the United position.
Speaking to the Sun, he said: 'Manchester United are recognised for being one of the biggest clubs in the world.
'So any link with a club of that size, history and status is very flattering and I am a Manchester boy. There hasn't been any contact with United at this moment, for me it's always about focusing on the job in hand.
'I'm more than aware I work for a great organisation, but then like always you never know in football what can happen in the future.'
United boss Jose Mourinho was left exasperated in the summer after missing out on a number of key targets.
The Portuguese was desperately seeking defensive reinforcements with Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld, Leonardo Bonucci and Diego Godin all are on the radar, only for none to make the switch.
Mitchell has developed a reputation as one of the best talent-spotters in Europe, playing lead roles in discovering the likes of Sadio Mane while at Southampton and Dele Alli in his Tottenham days.
Mitchell is a former player, having enjoyed spells with Wigan Athletic and MK Dons, before he took up a role as head of recruitment with the Dons in 2010.
His work there earned him a move to Southampton at the age of just 30 before he followed Pochettino to Spurs in 2014.
He played an integral part in the signings of Alli, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld among others before spurning advances from elsewhere in the Premier League to try his hand in Germany.
Atletico Madrid's Italian chief Andrea Berta has been mooted in the list of potential director of football options, with Juventus' Fabio Paratici also a name in the frame.