Victor Sanchez has revealed to beIN SPORTS that he expects Mauricio Pochettino to be one of the favourites for the Real Madrid job, should current Los Blancos chief Zinedine Zidane be relieved of his duties in the summer.

Sanchez, who lifted the 1996 La Liga crown with Real revealed his admiration for the Tottenham boss in a wide-ranging interview. “I have a very good relationship with him because of our fights in La Liga. For me, he’s a top coach and he also has great skills in tactics, techniques and the methodology of the game.” 

Whilst Sanchez, who has previously coached Deportivo La Coruña & Real Betis in his homeland, along with a stint at Greek champions Olympiacos, succeeding Marco Silva was also eager to point out that Pochettino has harboured a unique team spirit whilst at Spurs. 

“The key point is the emotional way that he manages the team. He has built a team where the players are running and everyone is together, so for me, it is a reference for me as a coach.” 

Real Madrid boss Zidane is under renewed pressure after his sides 1-0 away defeat to Espanyol. With reports in Spain suggesting that the French manager's job could be up for review, should he fail to retain the Champions League for a third consecutive season. Sanchez revealed that Pochettino has all the qualities to succeed in Madrid. 

“Mauricio is a big talent and he deserves to be in a big club, it’s his decision I know that he is really happy and that he feels very happy at Spurs, so it will be a big decision if he leaves. But this is the market, this is the competition what he is doing with Spurs with less than half the budget of the other clubs is impressive.”

Spurs are still fighting for glory on two fronts, in the Champions League and the FA Cup following their 6-1 fifth-round replay win over Rochdale. Pochettino may not have lifted a trophy with his side yet, but Sanchez believes his coaching philosophy would be enough for him to catch the eye of Real.  “I cannot tell you if he’s going to go or not (to Real Madrid) but for sure he is a big manager and he deserves success.” 

Tottenham takes on Huddersfield on Saturday afternoon. You can watch all the action on HD 11.