Neville tells Pochettino to demand guarantees before taking Manchester United job

What happened

Gary Neville has warned Mauricio Pochettino not to accept the Manchester United job without concrete guarantees from the club's hierarchy, according to a report by Trivela. The intervention followed the announcement on Thursday morning that Michael Carrick had left his role in charge of Manchester United, a departure the outlet said opened the way for a possible move to Old Trafford for Pochettino. United were described as sitting 18th in the Premier League, inside the relegation zone, with the club seeking a change of direction to avoid a more difficult season.

Report details

Speaking on "The Overlap", the former United defender and Sky Sports commentator set out three conditions he believes Pochettino should insist on. First, a substantial compensation clause in case of dismissal, which Neville framed as professional protection given the instability at the club and the pressure for results. Second, the signing of two centre-backs in the January window. Third, a guaranteed minimum transfer budget for the following European summer, so that any rebuild could continue beyond the winter market.

Neville argued that Pochettino should not be held responsible for poor results without being given the means to fix the squad's problems. "If I were Mauricio Pochettino now, I would be protecting myself with all my strength," he said, adding that the Argentine should secure an indemnity in his contract and then push for two defenders in January. He also said Pochettino should insist on a minimum budget for the next summer's transfers "so that we can turn this situation around", and that the club must grant it or he should not take the job.

To illustrate the urgency, Neville pointed to the defensive line United finished with in their most recent match, a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa: Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. He called it probably the worst defensive line in the Premier League and said he knew of no worse back four currently in the division, describing it as unbelievable that United ended the game with that configuration. The report said the presence of players used out of their usual roles underlined the scale of the challenge Pochettino would face.

The source also said INEOS, the group that shares control of the club, would need to show a clear commitment to the sporting project, both on immediate signings and on planned investment for the next season. The report did not indicate that Pochettino had been appointed or that any of the conditions had been agreed.