Manchester United officially confirmed the Pochettino Manchester United appointment on Friday, naming Mauricio Pochettino as head coach on a deal running through the summer of 2029. The move makes him the club’s eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, according to Sky Sports.
The appointment follows the sacking of Michael Carrick on Thursday, with United having won only one of their last 10 Premier League matches and sitting 18th in the standings, in the relegation zone. Pochettino’s first match in charge arrives quickly: a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Nov. 22.
The Main Development
United and Pochettino reached their agreement on Friday, Nov. 13, with the formal announcement following the same day, according to Sky Sports. The club paid U.S. Soccer $10 million to trigger Pochettino’s release clause and roughly $2 million more to bring over his assistant coaches, Front Office Sports reported. His USA contract had carried a £7 million release clause.
Pochettino’s formal link to United begins Nov. 18, once he is released from his international duties with the U.S. federation, Marca reported. Before that, he will oversee the USA’s games against Haiti on Saturday and Wednesday during the current international break.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, Pochettino called the decision to leave the national team one of the toughest of his career. “I think it was one of the most difficult decisions in our career,” he said, per Front Office Sports. He also reflected on his time leading the USMNT, telling reporters, “It was one of the greatest honors of my career,” according to Marca.
What It Means For Manchester United
United’s hierarchy concluded that a managerial change had become necessary to meet the club’s ambitions, a decision Sky Sports described as extremely difficult to reach. Carrick had been nominated for Premier League Manager of the Season last term after guiding United to 12 wins in 17 matches and a third-place finish that returned the club to the Champions League. This season produced only three wins in 15 matches, a collapse that came less than six months after Carrick signed a contract extension through 2028 on May 22.
Pochettino was not a new name in United’s search. He had been a leading candidate for the job in 2022, when the club instead hired Erik ten Hag, and his name resurfaced in the summer of 2024 when United weighed firing ten Hag, according to FOX Sports. Once United learned Pochettino was available this time, he stood as the only candidate under consideration, per the same report.
Managerial History Since Ferguson
Pochettino becomes the eighth permanent manager United have appointed since Ferguson’s 2013 retirement, a run that has included David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ralf Rangnick, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and now Carrick’s successor. One source close to the club described the pattern bluntly: “It’s rinse and repeat. Ruben Amorim, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Carrick, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes, Ralf Rangnick, some of them are world-class managers who have had success. There are a lot of promising young managers there, ex-players who know the club as well,” according to Sky Sports.
Pochettino arrives with a résumé built across Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. He led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final and won the French title during his time at PSG.
USMNT Departure And Legacy
Pochettino’s exit closes a stint in which U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said he and his staff raised standards, strengthened the program’s culture and created clearer pathways connecting the youth national teams to the senior squad. His tenure included leading the USMNT to a Round of 16 finish at the 2026 World Cup, a run that ended with a 4-1 loss to Belgium in Seattle.
What’s Next
Pochettino will still lead the USMNT through its remaining international friendlies against Haiti on Saturday and Wednesday before his United role formally starts Nov. 18. His first match in charge of United comes six days later at Anfield against Liverpool on Nov. 22, a fixture that will offer the first look at how quickly his impact shows on a team currently mired in the relegation zone.
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