Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new head coach.
The Argentine will leave his role as head coach of the United States men’s team to move to Old Trafford at the conclusion of this international window. Pochettino will, therefore, be in charge for the States’ two-legged tie with Haiti before leaving for England.
The second leg takes place in Cincinnati on Tuesday, November 17, leaving Pochettino with little time to get to know the United squad before they return to Premier League action with a trip to arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday, November 22.
United have agreed to pay Pochettino’s release clause of £7.4million to make him the successor to Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday.
A club statement read: “Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the Manchester United men’s head coach from 18 November.
“The club has reached an agreement with the US Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the US Men’s National Team.”
United hope Pochettino will inspire improvement
Pochettino will be tasked with improving a United side that has won just one of their opening 10 Premier League games and currently sits inside the relegation zone having made their worst start to a top-flight season since 1986.
The United statement added: “The Argentinian is renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players.
“Pochettino has consistently performed at the highest level of football across multiple leagues. He began his coaching career with Espanyol in 2009 before joining Southampton and achieving a club-record Premier League points tally in 2014.
“During five full seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino established the club as regular Champions League contenders, securing qualification in four consecutive seasons and leading the club to its first final in the competition in 2019.
“In 2021, he joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions before joining Chelsea in 2023.
“Most recently he led the US Men’s National Team to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.”
US Soccer chief hails departing Pochettino
Pochettino leaves the US with a ringing endorsement from CEO and Secretary General JT Batson after a two-year spell in which he won 21 and drew two of his 35 games in charge.
Batson told ussoccer.com: “Mauricio has left a lasting mark on US Soccer through his leadership, professionalism and commitment to our players and culture
“What we are most proud of goes beyond the wins. He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the youth national teams to the senior team. Those changes are now embedded in how we operate, and we will keep building on them as we pursue sustained success on the world stage.”
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