Mauricio Pochettino is nearing a long-awaited appointment at Manchester United, with a deal expected to follow the formal dismissal of Michael Carrick. The transition, which follows a summit meeting in Monaco, marks the conclusion of a decade-long courtship between the Argentine manager and the Premier League club. Pochettino has been managing the USA national team since September 2024.
The connection between Pochettino and Old Trafford dates back to 2016, when he was seen leaving a lunch meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson at Scott’s restaurant in Mayfair. Finally, as Carrick awaits what looks to be the inevitable, it looks like Pochettino will inherit the Old Trafford empire.
Reflecting on that encounter, Pochettino famously described it as a meeting between colleagues, specifically a genius and an apprentice. Since then, his name has been repeatedly linked to the managerial vacancy, including after the departures of Louis van Gaal in 2016 and Jose Mourinho in 2018, as well as during the appointments of Erik ten Hag in 2022 and his successor in October 2024. Then when Jose Mourinho suffered the same fate in December 2018, pochettino was mentioned as a contender to succeed Louis van Gaal when he was sacked by United in May 2016. Then again when the Dutchman was shown the door in October 2024, pochettino was the other name on United’s shortlist when Erik ten Hag was appointed in April 2022.
Pochettino now faces the challenge of stabilizing a club described as a crumbling empire. The current state of the team is viewed as the result of inconsistent decision-making and a disjointed squad constructed by a succession of six different managers. Known for a quirky superstition of keeping lemons in his office to absorb negative energy, Pochettino will require an immense effort to improve the atmosphere surrounding the club. While Pochettino was building his reputation at Tottenham, where he fashioned an intense, all-out-attacking team that the great Scot admired, ferguson was three years into his retirement. The dysfunctional product of years of poor decision-making and questionable appointments, allied to a Frankenstein’s monster of a squad assembled by six managers, the problem for Pochettino is that the once great footballing empire is crumbling before the eyes.
The handling of Michael Carrick’s departure has drawn significant scrutiny. While the 45-year-old manager has struggled to meet expectations after his promotion from an interim role, the management of his exit has been labeled ham-fisted. This process has reflected poorly on part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada, and director of football Jason Wilcox.
United’s fanbase remains deeply disillusioned, openly criticizing the leadership as the team languishes in the Premier League relegation zone. For Carrick, his history as a decorated player and his clear desire to improve the club’s fortunes made his tenure’s end an uncomfortable episode for supporters to witness. Carrick, 45, has proved to be out of his depth since being confirmed as permanent head coach following a successful interim spell, but his history of success as a player, his basic decency and his obvious desire to turn.
