Pochettino to immediately introduce change at Man United after Michael Carrick axe

Pochettino will demand intensity and fitness from day one, overhauling United's pressing and work-rate metrics that rank among the Premier League's worst.

Mauricio Pochettino is close to being officially announced as Manchester United's new head coach following Michael Carrick's sacking. The Argentine is still fulfilling his role as USA manager through a CONCACAF Nations League tie against Haiti but is expected to be in the dugout for United's trip to Liverpool on November 22nd.

Ex-Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, who played under Pochettino at Spurs and Southampton, revealed the incoming manager will immediately prioritise intensity and fitness. "He will make players fit, that's for sure," Alderweireld told talkSPORT. "He brings intensity.

It's not like everyone is playing their own game, he wants a team that's going to be on the front foot. He wants to play pressure and having the ball as well."

United have been criticised this season for lacking intensity, ranking towards the bottom of the Premier League in distance covered, sprints and high-intensity pressures. Pochettino will inherit a side winless since August and currently 18th in the league.

Alderweireld believes the timing is ideal: "This is the perfect moment for him to be at Man Utd. Not many people expect too much, which gives him the opportunity to get to work."