Mauricio Pochettino is prepared to accept a proposal from Manchester United to be the team’s next head coach as Michael Carrick confronts a more uncertain future at Old Trafford.
United have initiated discussions with the Argentine regarding the potential replacement for Carrick, who is anticipated to be dismissed within the next 48 hours.
As reported on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter suggest that Pochettino is eager to manage the Premier League club once Carrick’s situation is clarified.
The ex-Tottenham and Chelsea coach, however, aims to keep a respectful rapport with the United States Soccer Federation and is anticipated to wait for Manchester United to initiate an official approach.
United would allegedly need to pay $10 million (£7.5 million) to free Pochettino from his contract with the US national team, which he extended in August.
The timing may be tricky, as the USA faces Haiti in a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarter-final next week.
Pochettino, 54, may encounter a tough choice if United extends a formal invitation while he is still getting his team ready for the international matches.
The Argentine has been evaluated for the Manchester United position on three different occasions, after Jose Mourinho left in 2018, before Erik ten Hag was hired in 2022, and following the Dutchman’s firing in 2024.
In the meantime, Carrick’s future is anticipated to be determined at a gathering in Monaco on Wednesday with United CEO Omar Berrada, football director Jason Wilcox, and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Berrada and Wilcox are said to plan to suggest Carrick’s exit following an unsatisfactory beginning to the Premier League season.
United have secured only one victory in their first 10 league games and are now 18th in the standings, within the relegation zone. Their ranking marks the team’s lowest point at this stage of a premier season since the 1986-87 season, when they were in 20th place.
Carrick, 45, was seen arriving at the club’s Carrington training facility on Wednesday as talks about his future progressed.
Pochettino has previously coached Southampton and Tottenham in the Premier League, leading Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019.
He subsequently assumed control of Paris Saint-Germain before overseeing Chelsea in the 2023-24 season.
The Argentine took over as head coach of the United States in September 2024 and guided the co-hosts to the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup.
As Manchester United contemplates yet another managerial shift, Pochettino might finally obtain the chance to lead at Old Trafford after numerous past connections to the role.
