Mauricio Pochettino is closing in on the Manchester United job. According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the club is finalising a deal to appoint the United States head coach if the ultimate decision is taken to relieve Michael Carrick of his duties, with personal terms being discussed with Pochettino’s representatives on Tuesday. ESPN’s sources confirm that United have opened talks with the 54-year-old’s camp and that he is the leading candidate to replace Carrick.
The development is the most significant yet in a saga that has dominated the international break. Carrick is still in post and took training at Carrington on Tuesday, with further sessions scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, but the writing is on the wall. United sit 18th in the Premier League after one win from 10 league games, and club executives including chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are meeting minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday to decide Carrick’s future.
The Monaco meeting that decides everything
Wednesday’s summit in Monaco was pre-planned, but Carrick’s position will dominate the agenda, according to ESPN. Berrada and Wilcox are expected to recommend a change, with Ratcliffe holding the final say alongside the Glazer family, the club’s majority owners. The Standard reported that a decision is not expected before Thursday, which means Carrick could yet take training for the rest of the week while his fate is decided elsewhere.
The mechanics of a deal are straightforward, if not cheap. Pochettino signed a new contract with US Soccer in August running to 2030, but it contains a buyout clause reported at close to $10 million, or around £7.4 million, with the figure rising if he brings his staff. United have not yet contacted US Soccer, according to multiple reports, and have not triggered the clause. That step comes only once the decision on Carrick is made.
Why Pochettino, and why now
Pochettino has been linked with the United job before, and the club has held discussions with him on at least two previous occasions. The former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss is currently with the USMNT in Atlanta, preparing for the Nations League quarter-final against Haiti, and he has not commented publicly. BBC Sport reports that he is open to a move to Old Trafford, and Sky Sports has been told the same.
United’s next game is a trip to Liverpool at Anfield on November 22, after the international break. If Pochettino is appointed, that would be his first match in charge — a baptism of fire if ever there was one. For now, Carrick remains the head coach, Pochettino remains the US coach, and the Monaco meeting will decide which of them is which by the end of the week. United’s season, already in the relegation zone, cannot wait much longer.
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