Manchester United’s Shocking Move: Why Pochettino’s Arrival Could Change Everything Overnight

Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new head coach.

The Argentine will leave his role in charge of the United States men’s team to move to Old Trafford at the conclusion of this international window. Pochettino will, therefore, be in charge for the States’ two-legged tie with Haiti before leaving for England.

The second leg takes place in Cincinnati on Tuesday, November 17, leaving Pochettino with little time to get to know the United squad before they return to Premier League action with a trip to arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday, November 22.

United have agreed to pay Pochettino’s release clause of £7.4million to make him the successor to Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday.

A club statement read: “Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the Manchester United men’s head coach from 18 November.

“The club has reached an agreement with the US Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the US Men’s National Team.”

United hope Pochettino will inspire improvement

Pochettino will be tasked with improving a United side that has won just one of their opening 10 Premier League games and currently sits inside the relegation zone having made their worst start to a top-flight season since 1986.

The United statement added: “The Argentinian is renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players.

“Pochettino has consistently performed at the highest level of football across multiple leagues. He began his coaching career with Espanyol in 2009 before joining Southampton and achieving a club-record Premier League points tally in 2014.

“During five full seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino established the club as regular Champions League contenders, securing qualification in four consecutive seasons and leading the club to its first final in the competition in 2019.

“In 2021, he joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions before joining Chelsea in 2023.

“Most recently he led the US Men’s National Team to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.”

US Soccer chief hails departing Pochettino

Pochettino leaves the US with a ringing endorsement from CEO and Secretary General JT Batson after a two-year spell in which he won 21 and drew two of his 35 games in charge.

Batson told ussoccer.com: “Mauricio has left a lasting mark on US Soccer through his leadership, professionalism and commitment to our players and culture

“What we are most proud of goes beyond the wins. He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the youth national teams to the senior team. Those changes are now embedded in how we operate, and we will keep building on them as we pursue sustained success on the world stage.”

Carrick sacked by United after dismal start

Carrick took over on an interim basis in January, succeeding Ruben Amorim, and inspired a dramatic uptick in performances that resulted in a third-placed finish and qualification for the Champions League.

He was rewarded with a two-year deal but this season has not gone to plan. That is in part due to an underwhelming summer of recruitment by director of football Jason Wilcox in which United bolstered the midfield with the likes of Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos but left the squad short in other areas, most notably left back and attack.

They are now Pochettino’s problems to solve, along with a dressing room that has appeared to put individual interests ahead of the greater good at times this season with two senior players making unwanted public statements. The first saw Argentina defend Lisandro Martinez criticise the club hierarchy following the defeat at Atletico Madrid while captain Bruno Fernandes questioned Carrick’s tactics after the 4-1 thrashing in Como.

United will also hope Pochettino can follow in the club’s traditions of bringing through young players, as he has with the US with the likes of 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan and 17-year-old Mathis Albert getting their first goals in impressive wins over Chile and Mexico.

Pochettino will be followed to United by his long-time assistant Jesus Perez and the rest of his staff.

The 54-year-old said: “The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honours of my career. We are so grateful to the players for their commitment, to the fans for their belief, and to the Federation for always supporting our staff and creating the opportunities to impact the culture of soccer in this great country.

“There is tremendous talent in the US player pool from the youth teams through to the senior team, and it’s one of the reasons we have so much belief for the future of US Soccer. You will always have a special place in our hearts, and we will be supporting the teams whenever they step on the field.”

What now for the US?

Steve Cherundolo will lead the scheduled camp in December while the process to find a new head coach gets underway, led by the soccer leadership team at US Soccer that includes Emma Hayes and former USMNT defender Oguchi Onyewu.

Batson added: “With the great combination of veterans, fantastic young talent and a world-class facility, we are confident in the future of this program

“We are looking for a leader with the talent, experience and belief to match our ambition, build on the culture and pathway now in place and help the USMNT take the next step.”

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