Manchester United Confirm Mauricio Pochettino as New Head Coach

Manchester United have confirmed Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, handing the Argentine a two-and-a-half-year contract and the task of hauling the club out of the Premier League relegation zone.

The appointment, announced on Friday, ends a frantic week at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick was sacked on Thursday, less than a day before United confirmed his successor, with the club sitting 18th in the table after the worst start to a league season in 40 years.

FAKTA

• Confirmed: Friday 13 November 2026
• Contract: Two and a half years, to June 2029
• Starts: Wednesday 18 November 2026
• First match: Liverpool away, Sunday 22 November
• Release clause: About £7.4 million paid to US Soccer
• United’s position: 18th, eight points from 10 games

A swift appointment after Carrick’s exit

The decision was finalised after owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe met chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox in Monaco on Wednesday. Pochettino was the only coach United spoke to directly about the job, and his appointment had the unanimous backing of the club’s leadership and ownership.

In its statement, United said: “Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the Manchester United men’s head coach from 18 November. The club has reached an agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the U.S. Men’s National Team.”

Carrick, 45, was told of his sacking at Carrington on Thursday morning. His final match was the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, which left United on eight points from 10 games, with one league win and an eight-match winless run in the Premier League. He becomes the seventh permanent manager sacked since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and Pochettino will be the eighth permanent boss of the post-Ferguson era.

From the World Cup to Old Trafford

Pochettino, 54, arrives straight from the United States national team, which he led to the last 16 of the World Cup on home soil in the summer. He will stay with the USA for two final matches, the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final legs against Haiti in Miami on Saturday and in Cincinnati on Tuesday, before flying straight to Manchester.

He addressed the media for the last time as US coach at an emotional farewell news conference on Friday, thanking the players, the fans and the federation for their support. United paid a release clause of about £7.4 million in his US contract to secure him, only months after he had signed a new four-year deal with US Soccer.

He is due to meet his new players and take his first training session at Carrington on Thursday, giving him just three training days before his first match in charge.

What awaits the new head coach

There is no gentle start. Pochettino’s first game is away at Liverpool on Sunday 22 November, followed by a Champions League trip to Sporting on 25 November. His first home match is against Brentford on 28 November, with a visit to Newcastle to follow on 2 December.

The 54-year-old brings a strong Premier League record. He built his reputation at Southampton, took Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019, and later managed Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. United praised his “dynamic, attacking approach” and his record of developing young players, the qualities the club believes can rebuild a squad that has lost its way.

The scale of the task is clear. United sit in the relegation zone after their worst start in four decades, and the new head coach has barely a week to prepare a team that has won once in the league all season. His first test, at Anfield, could hardly be tougher. More sports news on Watan News