Inside Man Utd's pursuit of Pochettino

Pochettino set to replace Carrick as Manchester United manager; United had considered him two years ago but felt the timing wasn't right until now.

Manchester United have sacked Michael Carrick and are close to completing a deal for Mauricio Pochettino to take over as manager, with the Argentine expected to be in place for the Premier League game against Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.

United's bosses first met Pochettino in summer 2024, shortly after he left Chelsea, and considered him as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag. However, they decided the timing wasn't right at that point, feeling he had been emotionally affected by his departure from Stamford Bridge and that the club needed a manager with fresh energy for the rebuilding job ahead.

The move gathered momentum once United learned of Pochettino's £7.4m buy-out clause in his US Soccer contract and received positive signals from his camp about his desire to join. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox made their first direct contact with Pochettino on Tuesday night.

United had also pursued Unai Emery, but Aston Villa's watertight contract with no buy-out clause made that impossible. Sources stress Pochettino is not a second choice and that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is satisfied he is the best man for the job.