体坛英语新闻：Pochettino 'not thinking' about Argentina job

BUENOS AIRES, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Mauricio Pochettino has ruled out the possibility of managing Argentina's national team in the near term, vowing to honor his existing contract with Tottenham Hotspur.

Argentina's media has regularly touted Pochettino as a future Albiceleste boss and those calls resurfaced after Tottenham advanced to the UEFA Champions League final with a dramatic victory over Ajax on Wednesday.

"I'm not thinking about returning to Argentina or taking charge of the national team. In the short term I don't see that as being possible," Pochettino said in an interview broadcast on Argentine television on Thursday.

The 47-year-old former center-back, who was capped 20 times for Argentina's national team, is contracted with the Premier League side until 2023.

Pochettino said he relishes the opportunity to work with players on a daily basis, describing a national team role as a "completely different challenge."

And he denied reports that he was offered Argentina's head coaching position following the dismissal of Jorge Sampaoli last July. The Argentine Football Association eventually appointed former Deportivo La Coruna and Lazio full-back Lionel Scaloni.

"They did not offer me the job and I also have a contractual situation. I have four years left at Tottenham," he said.

Pochettino began his managerial career in 2009 at Espanyol before joining Southampton in 2013 and then Tottenham a year later.