Joshua Kimmich has labelled Mauricio Pochettino a ‘top coach’ with the former Tottenham boss linked with the Bayern Munich job.
Pochettino was sacked as Spurs manager on Tuesday night and promptly replaced with Jose Mourinho.
The Argentine has long been mentioned as a potential boss at the Allianz Arena, with the Bundesliga champions currently under the temporary stewardship of Hansi Flick following the sacking of Niko Kovac earlier this month.
Kimmich was asked about Pochettino in the aftermath of Germany’s 6-1 win over Northern Ireland in Euro 2020 qualifying on Tuesday, and answered diplomatically.
“I do not know if he is a candidate for us,” he told reporters.
“What you can say is that Tottenham were fighting at the top for years, they had brilliant consistency.
“He’s a top coach, but I don’t know if he is an option for us."
After Kovac’s reign ended with an ignominious 5-1 defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern have won both of their games under former assistant Flick – a 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League, and a 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently confirmed that Flick would remain in the role “at least until Christmas, and possibly beyond that”, adding that the club’s hierarchy trust him in charge.
“In the first two games, it has worked well,” Kimmich added. “I guess we will stay with it at least until Christmas – I do not see a new candidate now.”
Flick has had further support from star striker Robert Lewandowski, but the rumours are likely to continue until he is either confirmed as permanent manager or replaced, with Pep Guardiola also strongly linked with a return.
Given their stance on Flick, a swift move for Pochettino would come as a surprise, but would also add a layer of intrigue to Bayern’s Champions League clash with Tottenham in mid-December.
Bayern are currently third in the Bundesliga, four points behind table-topping Borussia Monchengladbach and level with both RB Leipzig and Freiburg.
They face Fortuna Dusseldorf and Bayer Leverkusen either side of a Champions League tie with Red Star Belgrade, before travelling to take on surprise leaders Gladbach in early December.