Manchester United Reported to Have Initial Pochettino Deal if Carrick Is Sacked

What happened

Manchester United have reportedly reached an initial agreement with Mauricio Pochettino to become head coach if Michael Carrick is dismissed, according to a report by Sky Sports cited by ANTARA News. The report said United were still working through details with Pochettino's side and were accelerating talks with the U.S. Soccer Federation over a possible buyout of the Argentine coach's contract.

Report details

Carrick's future was set to be decided at a meeting of senior club officials in Monaco on Wednesday local time. The report said the club was still considering a change in the head coach position and that the case for parting with Carrick was strengthening. On the same Wednesday, Carrick was still leading United's training session at Carrington.

According to the Sky Sports report, Pochettino has a release clause worth 7 million pounds (about Rp150 billion) in his contract with the United States national team, a figure believed not to be an obstacle for United. The main issue was instead the U.S. team's match schedule: Pochettino was due to lead his side against Haiti on Sunday (15/11) and Wednesday (18/11). He was reported to be ready to take over at United once that issue was resolved, should the club ultimately decide to replace Carrick. The U.S. federation had earlier confirmed the cancellation of a scheduled media event with players on Wednesday to mark Veterans Day.

The report said United had explored signing Pochettino several times before, including approaching him on more than one occasion, among them in 2022. Although he was said to enjoy his work with the U.S. national team, Pochettino was described as finding it hard to turn down the chance to manage United. The 54-year-old was said to be ready to return to the English league two years after being sacked by Chelsea, and he reportedly viewed his Stamford Bridge tenure as fairly successful while considering Chelsea not the right club for him. The same report noted United's run of nine matches without a win and that Carrick was focused on facing Roma. These are media reports, not official confirmation.