Manchester United have confirmed Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, ending a decade of speculation linking the Argentine with the Old Trafford job.
The 54-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract running until the summer of 2029. He will take charge on Wednesday, after overseeing the United States in their double-header against Haiti, and his first match will be the trip to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, 22 November.
Pochettino replaces Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday after United made their worst-ever start to a Premier League season. The club sit in the relegation zone after ten matches, with only one league win from their opening ten games.
United will pay around £7.4 million to buy Pochettino out of his contract with US Soccer, according to Sky Sports. Reports vary slightly on the exact figure, with some outlets putting it at £7 million and others at £7.5 million, but all agree the release clause has been triggered.
The appointment comes less than three months after Pochettino signed a new four-year deal with US Soccer in August, keeping him in charge of the national team through the 2030 World Cup. He took over the United States in September 2024, led them to the final of the 2025 Gold Cup and guided the co-hosts out of their group at the 2026 World Cup before a last-16 defeat by Belgium.
Pochettino is best known in England for his five years at Tottenham Hotspur, where he built a young, high-pressing side that finished second in the Premier League in 2017 and reached the Champions League final in 2019. He has also managed Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title, and Chelsea, whom he took to the League Cup final in his single season in charge.
United described their new head coach as “renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players”. The appointment was recommended by director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, and approved by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Pochettino becomes the eighth permanent appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. He inherits a club in crisis and a squad short on confidence, with the visit to Anfield offering one of the toughest possible starts.
Sources: Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/new-manchester-united-manager-mauricio-pochettino-2026-11-13/) and Sky Sports (https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13610882/mauricio-pochettino-appointed-as-manchester-united-head-coach-after-michael-carricks-sacking-at-old-trafford)
