Manchester United have reached an agreement with former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino to become their next head coach, replacing Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday.
The Argentine is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract at Old Trafford, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2029.
Pochettino, who currently manages the United States national team, is expected to fly to Manchester on Wednesday before meeting his new players and conducting his first training session on Thursday.
United officials have spent the past 24 hours negotiating with US Soccer over his release. The club has agreed, out of respect, to allow Pochettino to oversee the United States’ two international fixtures against Haiti during the current international break.
The second match is scheduled for Cincinnati on Tuesday, with the Argentine expected to travel directly to Manchester afterwards to maximise his preparation time ahead of United’s Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
The formal announcement of his appointment is expected on Friday.
The 54-year-old will become Manchester United’s eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Pochettino’s appointment follows Carrick’s departure less than six months after he signed a two-year contract with the club.
Carrick was dismissed following United’s disappointing start to the Premier League campaign, which left the club in the relegation zone after recording just one victory in 10 matches.
In a statement released on Thursday morning, shortly after Carrick left the club’s training ground, United said they had reached “the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions”.
Carrick had taken training in Manchester on Wednesday as the club’s hierarchy reached a verbal agreement with Pochettino.
Meanwhile, United’s senior officials, including minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, were attending a summit in Monaco when the decision to sack Carrick was ratified.
The recommendation reportedly came from chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
The club’s hierarchy is understood to believe that the current squad has considerably more quality than its performances and results have demonstrated.
Carrick’s dismissal followed Sunday’s 4-4 draw against Aston Villa, in which United recovered from two goals down inside the opening four minutes and a 4-2 deficit early in the second half to secure a late draw.
The comeback came after United had similarly overturned a deficit to defeat Roma in the Champions League last Tuesday. However, the results were insufficient to convince the club’s leadership to retain the former midfielder.
Several members of Carrick’s coaching staff have also departed, including Jonny Evans, Jonathan Woodgate, Steve Holland, Travis Binnion and goalkeeping coach Craig Mawson.
The only remaining member of the previous coaching team is assistant first-team goalkeeping coach Connor King, who joined the club two months ago.
Carrick initially took charge of United in January 2026 on a contract running until the end of the season, following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim earlier in the campaign.
He enjoyed an impressive run of results, winning 12 of his 17 matches and guiding United to a third-place finish in the Premier League, securing their return to the Champions League.
His performances earned him a nomination for Premier League Manager of the Season before he signed a new contract on May 22, extending his stay until 2028.
However, just three victories in 15 matches this season ultimately cost him his position.
Pochettino, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, had been considered for the Manchester United job on three previous occasions.
He will now finally take charge at Old Trafford as the club looks to revive its Premier League campaign.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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