Manchester United are closing in on Mauricio Pochettino as their next head coach after reaching a verbal agreement in principle with the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager.
The Argentine has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Michael Carrick, whose departure was confirmed on Thursday following Man United’s disastrous start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.
Sky Sports News understands Man United are prepared to pay around £7million to release Pochettino from his contract with the United States national team, which he recently extended until 2030.
In situ post international break
The 54-year-old is expected to remain with the USA for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Haiti before beginning work at Old Trafford, potentially next Thursday.
United are also expected to finalise discussions with the United States Soccer Federation as they work towards completing the appointment.
Solhekol raises questions over appointment
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol believes Pochettino has the personality to lift the dressing room but questioned whether he can extract more from the current squad than Carrick managed.
“I don’t know if he can get any more out of these players than Michael Carrick did,” Solhekol said.
He also highlighted Pochettino’s limited trophy record outside his spell at Paris Saint-Germain, pointing to his departures from PSG and Chelsea after relatively short periods in charge.
January transfer window presents early test
Pochettino will inherit a Man United side sitting 18th in the Premier League after winning just three of their first 15 matches across all competitions.
His immediate challenge will be restoring confidence and improving results, with a difficult trip to Liverpool pending on November 22.
Solhekol believes the January transfer window will offer an early indication of the direction Pochettino wants to take the club.
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