Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has praised the impact Mauricio Pochettino has had at rivals Tottenham Hotspur and believes the Argentinian is one of most "hard-working" and "promising" managers in the Premier League, as reported by International Business Times.
Wenger's men managed to pip Spurs to a second-placed finish on the final day of the Premier League season, but Pochettino's men were the only realistic challengers to Leicester City's crown until a massive dip in form in the final furlongs of the season.
But despite the poor run of form, it remains Spurs' best ever season in the Premier League and the reward of Champions League next season is tangible proof of Pochettino's ever growing positive effect on the young Tottenham squad.
His tactical awareness, along with his trust in young academy players, has caught the eye of many since his 2014 arrival from Southampton, not least Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman has been impressed with the work the former Espanyol boss has put into the squad, lauding the "great dynamic" the Spurs team have and believes that philosophy has instilled belief in Tottenham and could potentially be the start of something special.
"Pochettino has given his team a great dynamic, they play attractive football, he has given his team a style and given belief to Tottenham again. They can win the league again. That's a remarkable achievement. He's one of the promising, hard-working managers in the Premier League," Wenger said.
"Tottenham had a very good season. But they were very close to us. That means the expectation is so high for us that it's difficult to please people."
The pair have been known to share a mutual respect for one another and Wenger's kind words were in response to Pochettino's assertion earlier in the year when he labelled the Frenchman's achievement's and influence in football as on par with Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
"That's honestly too big a compliment!" Wenger said, in reference to Pochettino's praise.
"I just think in football, when you look at all the results of all the teams, of all the clubs, and I'm very, very proud of our consistency even if we did not win the championship this year."