Manchester United have named Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, replacing Michael Carrick, who was sacked after the club’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season. The 54-year-old Argentine has signed a deal until the summer of 2029, Sky Sports reported.
A club in trouble
Pochettino takes over a side in the relegation zone. United are 18th after 10 league games, with one win and eight points, according to Al Jazeera. They have won only three of 15 matches in all competitions this season.
He becomes the eighth permanent manager at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013. Sky Sports said he was the only coach the club approached directly and was the unanimous choice of the club’s leadership, approved by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Leaving the USA job
Pochettino had coached the US men’s team since 2024, and his contract ran until the 2030 World Cup. Under him, the co-hosts reached the round of 16 at this year’s World Cup.
United agreed his release with US Soccer. Sky Sports understands the club will pay around £7.4 million in compensation. That figure has been reported, not officially confirmed.
He will first take charge of the USA for their match against Haiti before moving to Manchester. Sky Sports said he starts on Wednesday, meeting the club’s leadership that day, and takes his first training session on Thursday, after the international break.
A tough opening run
There is no gentle start. His first six games, as listed by Sky Sports:
- Liverpool (away), Premier League, 22 November
- Sporting (away), Champions League, 25 November
- Brentford (home), Premier League, 28 November
- Newcastle (away), Premier League, 2 December
- Coventry (home), Premier League, 5 December
- RB Leipzig (home), Champions League, 8 December
His record so far
Pochettino has managed Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. At Tottenham, he reached a Champions League final and a League Cup final, and finished second in the Premier League in 2017. At PSG, he won Ligue 1. He has not won a major trophy in England.
United’s statement praised his “high-intensity, attacking style of football” and his record of developing young players. The first job is simpler than any long-term plan: pick up enough points to get out of the bottom three.
Reporting based on Sky Sports and Al Jazeera.
Featured image: W.carter, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
