Manchester United activates clause, hires Pochettino as coach

Manchester United activated the clause for Mauricio Pochettino and hired the 54‑year‑old Argentine, after Michael Carrick was dismissed following a weak start to the season. The move comes as the Red Devils have only one win from ten Premier League games and sit in 18th place in the relegation zone.

The contribution appeared in Bundesliga Club Forum 3. It was officially published on 13 November 2026 at 13:01 as Premium Service and Support for advisers.

Costs and Contract Details

Following the activation of the clause, the buyout sum is around ten million US dollars, about nine million euros, and comes from Pochettino's contract, which was extended in August until 2030. This places him as a coach among the twenty most expensive managers in history, between Adi Hütter and Enzo Maresca. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, Manchester United has spent over 120 million euros on release fees and severance payments for nine head coaches.

Michael Carrick received, after his interim spell, a contract until 2028 and at least six million euros in compensation. By comparison, José Mourinho received 23.4 million euros from Real Madrid in December 2018.

Pochettino ready to coach United, but first on the bench for USA

Pochettino took over the USA national team in September 2024, led them to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup and were eliminated there by Belgium. The contract extension was intended to drive the rebuilding up to the 2030 World Cup and strengthen youth development.

He emphasized that contracts should be honoured in principle, but added: “Nothing in life is certain. In football, even less so.” Already in September he told Sky Sports that he wanted to lead a project with title ambitions in the Premier League. At the end of 2025 he told the BBC that he was happy in America, but missed the English league and was thinking about a return.

Man United have only three wins from fifteen games and have conceded thirty goals. Only RC Lens (31 goals conceded), Racing Santander and US Sassuolo have allowed as many goals in the top‑5 leagues with fewer matches.