Manchester United has agreed a deal with Mauricio Pochettino to become its next head coach, Sky Sports reported Thursday, with the appointment announced a day after the club fired Michael Carrick. The Pochettino Manchester United deal will run until the summer of 2029, a two-and-a-half-year contract, according to Sky Sports.
The move ends Carrick’s tenure less than six months after he signed a two-year contract in May 2026. United had won just one of its last 10 Premier League matches before his dismissal, and the club said in a statement, “After a disappointing start to the season, the club has come to the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary in order to achieve our ambitions,” according to Sky Sports and the New York Post.
The Main Development
Carrick was fired on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, following a meeting in Monaco between United executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the New York Post reported. Carrick was informed of the decision that morning.
Pochettino, currently the United States men’s national team head coach, had signed a new contract to lead the USMNT through the 2030 World Cup, Yahoo Sports reported. United must pay $10 million to release him from that deal, according to the New York Post, while Sky Sports reported his USA contract carried a £7 million release clause.
What It Means
Pochettino will become United’s eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, a run of turnover that has defined the club’s post-Ferguson era. His arrival follows a sharp statistical decline under Carrick, who won 12 of 17 matches last season to finish third in the Premier League and return the club to the Champions League, earning a nomination for Premier League Manager of the Season. This season, Carrick won just three of 15 games before being let go.
Pochettino brings significant Premier League experience from spells at Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea, and he guided Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final. He also led the USMNT to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
Timing Of The Handover
Pochettino is set to take charge of the USMNT for CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti, with games expected Saturday and Wednesday, before moving to United. His first match as United head coach will come at Anfield against Liverpool on Nov. 22, 2026, according to Sky Sports.
No official date or time for United’s formal announcement of the hire had been specified as of Friday morning. Details on Pochettino’s successor with the USMNT had also not been reported.
What’s Next
United’s immediate focus turns to the Liverpool fixture on Nov. 22, which will mark Pochettino’s debut on the touchline. The USMNT’s Nations League quarterfinal schedule against Haiti continues this week as Pochettino finishes his international duties before shifting to Old Trafford full time.
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