In the end it came down to a choice of one. From the moment Manchester United was aware of Mauricio Pochettino’s availability he stood alone the only candidate as the troubled Premier League club went in search of a new coach. United’s hierarchy had assumed Pochettino, like Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, was out of reach. Emery also has big admirers at United after transforming Villa from a relegation-threatened team to a serial Champions League challenger, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to protect relationships. But the Spaniard, under contract and without a release clause, was simply not an option.