PSG chief Leonardo remains coy on Mauricio Pochettino’s future after Champions League exit

Paris Saint-Germain chief Leonardo has refused to back manager Mauricio Pochettino at least beyond the summer following the French’s side Champions League capitulation against Real Madrid.

Having won the first leg 1-0, PSG were cruising at the Bernabeu when Kylian Mbappe put them 2-0 up on aggregate.

But the runaway French league leaders were left stunned when Karim Benzema pulled one back just after the hour mark before netting twice more in the next 17 minutes to complete his hat-trick, turn the tie on its head and dump out Pochettino’s men.

Mauricio Pochettino is facing the axe at Paris Saint-Germain after their Champions League exit

The result now leaves the former Tottenham boss facing the sack, with Leonardo admitting he had failed in his objective to win the Champions League. 

Although he backed the Argentine publicly he didn’t endorse him to remain in charge at least for the long term. 

‘We shouldn’t throw everything in the bin. We shouldn’t start from scratch after every loss,’ Leonardo told RMC Sport, via Get French Football News.

Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in the final 30 minutes dumped out the French league leaders

‘The objective is to win the Champions League, and until half time we were fine. We have to look to improve this team and maintain morale to play in Ligue 1 and to finish the season well.

‘We should stay together. Pochettino is still part of the project for this season. It’s not the time to think about that.’

Reports in France suggest Pochettino as well as Leonardo could pay the price for the club’s latest Champions League failure in the knockout stage.

Leonardo (centre) failed to back Pochettino’s position at the club in the long term

Pochettino admitted he was disappointed with the defeat but called for calm heads.

‘The present is all I can deal with. As for the future, what will be will be. We play to compete and to win. It’s a hard blow to take but we have to keep a calm head now.’

That ‘que sera sera’ response will not go down well with the club’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who Spanish television reporter Monica Marchante reported was incandescent with rage after the defeat.