Pochettino set for Manchester United challenge after Carrick exit

Manchester United are set to appoint Mauricio Pochettino after dismissing Michael Carrick, with talks having progressed to the details of a £7m release clause in the Argentine’s contract with the United States.

The decision to remove Carrick was not entirely unexpected inside the club, despite appearing sudden to supporters. Senior Manchester United officials, including co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, held decisive meetings in Monaco while Carrick continued to oversee training.

According to the BBC, chief executive Omar Berrada contacted Carrick’s representative on Monday to say he would travel to Monaco with sporting director Jason Wilcox to discuss the manager’s position. Wilcox then held a similar conversation with Carrick the following day, informing him that the club would make a recommendation about his future.

The club regretted the public nature of the process but believed it was difficult to keep such discussions secret, particularly as speculation about Carrick’s successor intensified.

Three-game test ends Carrick’s tenure

Carrick’s recent results were not the only reason for his departure, but they were regarded as a final test following heavy defeats by Como and Bournemouth.

Manchester United then faced Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa, winning one, drawing one and losing one. The team conceded eight goals across those matches, while the club’s hierarchy saw little improvement in its defensive structure or overall style of play.

The 4-4 draw with Aston Villa proved decisive. United fell 2-0 behind within the opening four minutes, trailed 4-2 early in the second half and recovered to level late on. The comeback showed determination but did not alter the view that deeper problems remained.

Carrick had initially earned the club’s confidence after taking temporary charge following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal in January 2026. He restored calm in the dressing room, improved relations between players and staff and gave the attack greater freedom.

United won 12 of 17 matches under him that season, a 70.1% success rate, and finished third in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League. Carrick, 45, was subsequently handed a two-year contract, but won only 15 of his 32 matches overall, a 46.9% record. This season, he managed three victories in 15 games, a 20% win rate.

Pochettino faces immediate test

Manchester United have reached a verbal agreement with Pochettino on a two-and-a-half-year contract running until summer 2029. The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager had previously been linked with the post on three occasions.

The BBC reports that his United States contract contains a $10m release clause, worth about £7m, with Pochettino’s representatives understood to have provided the details. Negotiations began on Monday and Berrada contacted US Soccer on Wednesday to confirm the clause and the club’s intention to activate it.

Pochettino will first lead the United States in two CONCACAF Nations League matches against Haiti. He began training with the squad near Atlanta before the first leg in Miami and the return fixture in Cincinnati on 18 November.

He is expected to travel to England afterwards and begin work at Carrington, leaving only a few days before Manchester United visit Liverpool at Anfield on 22 November. International absences could further limit his options, meaning he may have only one or two training sessions with his new players.

Gary Neville has warned that the club’s problems extend beyond the manager. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have appointed Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Erik ten Hag, Amorim and Carrick, yet the pattern has continued. Mourinho has the best permanent-manager win rate in that period at 58.3% and won three trophies, while the club has struggled to establish a stable structure around its managers.

Pochettino will therefore inherit more than a team in poor form. His first task will be to rebuild confidence, improve defensive organisation and show that his appointment represents a lasting project rather than another short-term response to Manchester United’s continuing decline.