Pochettino ready to coach United, but first on the bench for USA
Manchester United have confirmed Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager, succeeding Michael Carrick, and have set his debut on the bench at Anfield against Liverpool on November 22, after leading the United States in the two international fixtures against Haiti on November 14 and 18.
The move from the United States to Manchester United
Pochettino will take over from Michael Carrick, who left the Red Devils less than six months after signing a two‑year extension. Before joining the new club, he will still have to manage the United States in two matches. The USA will face Haiti on Saturday, November 14 at 22:30 Italian time in Kingston, Jamaica, in the first leg of the CONCACAF Nations League quarter‑final second leg. The return leg is scheduled for the Italian night between Tuesday the 17th and Wednesday the 18th, at home in Cincinnati.
Man United have agreed to let him take part in these two fixtures out of respect for the national team. At the end of the second match, Pochettino will fly directly to Manchester on Wednesday. On Thursday he will meet the squad and conduct the first training ahead of the debut at Anfield against Liverpool on November 22.
United dismissed Michael Carrick after just ten league games, with the club sitting in eighteenth place ahead of the international break. The club paid US Soccer an initial compensation of $7 billion (£5.3 billion) to terminate Pochettino’s contract, which ran until the 2030 World Cup. Further sums will be required for the staff, including long‑time assistant Jesus Perez.
He also thanked the players, fans and the federation for their support.
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His role with the USA will continue for the two matches against Haiti, with the away game on November 14 and the return in Cincinnati on November 18. His official start in Manchester is set for November 18, shortly before the clash with Liverpool at Anfield on November 22.
Pochettino’s profile and experience
Pochettino’s move is seen as a coup for United, who have won only once in the Premier League this season, against Ipswich Town, collecting eight points from ten games. The Argentine manager has coached in England during the 2023/24 season with Chelsea, taking them to sixth place. He left the club by mutual consent at the end of the season.
Before that, he spent five years at Tottenham, leading the side to the Champions League final in 2019. He then managed Paris Saint‑Germain for eighteen months, winning the Ligue 1 title in the 2021/22 season.
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With the USA national team he reached the round of 16 at the summer World Cup, but the side was at the centre of a controversy over the cancellation of Folarin Balogun’s red card after an intervention by Donald Trump with the FIFA president.