Man United invests almost €10 m in Mauricio Pochettino
Manchester United is in a crisis, while it has already set aside an almost ten million euro sum to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as successor to Michael Carrick. The Athletic reported Wednesday morning that the club is fully committed to the Argentine manager after a possible dismissal of Carrick.
Carrick's past and current crisis
Michael Carrick has had a permanent role at Old Trafford since the start of this season. Last season he led the team on an interim basis to a third-place finish in the Premier League. This season United are currently eighteenth in the Premier League, below the relegation line. In the Champions League the club ranks seventeenth out of the 36 participants.
After a painful 3‑0 defeat to Bournemouth United had three games to turn the tide. The first of those ended in a 2‑0 loss to Chelsea. Then United recovered against AS Roma by overturning a 0‑2 deficit into a 3‑2 win. Last weekend the team came back from a deficit twice and finished in a 4‑4 draw with Aston Villa.
Pochettino as successor
Club leadership does not consider this sufficient and has decided to dismiss Michael Carrick soon. Mauricio Pochettino will replace him, a personal agreement has already been reached. United, however, still need to obtain a waiver from the United States, where Pochettino is currently coaching the national team. Pochettino is under contract with the US federation until mid‑2030, with a buy‑out clause of roughly nine million euros.
Club executives are holding a meeting today to make the dismissal decision and the appointment final. On Tuesday officials have agreed personal terms with Pochettino. United have not yet contacted US Soccer to purchase the Argentine coach’s $10 million waiver. Moreover, additional compensation must be paid to release the US staff team and bring them to Old Trafford.
Manchester United eye US coach Pochettino before sacking Carrick
The US are scheduled to play two matches against Haiti during the current international break, leaving it unclear whether Pochettino will continue his duties.
Directors Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox travelled to Monte Carlo for a meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe about the future coaching situation.
United are experiencing one of the worst season starts since 1986/87, eighteenth after ten matchdays. A dismissal of Carrick would mark the seventh change of manager since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.
United close to appointing Pochettino and deciding on Carrick
The Argentine manager has previously been in charge at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint‑Germain and Chelsea, and is eager to get to work at Old Trafford. Pochettino, currently coach of the US, is excited to return to the Premier League and enjoys the support of the Glazer family.