Mauricio Pochettino poised to agree two-and-a-half-year Man Utd contract
Manchester United are set to agree a two-and-a-half-year contract with Mauricio Pochettino to succeed Michael Carrick, the Press Association understands.
The Athletic first reported a deal until 2029 had been reached with the Argentinian, who signed a contract extension as United States head coach through to 2030 just three months ago.
Pochettino is set to take charge of the US’ Nations League quarter-final ties against Haiti on Saturday and next Tuesday before heading to Manchester.
United’s first match after the international break will be against Liverpool on November 22.
Pochettino’s current employer, US Soccer, is understood to have accepted he is stepping down but the federation will receive 10 million US dollars (£7.4m) in compensation for him, and a further 2m USD for the departure of his coaching team.
An announcement regarding Pochettino could come as early as Friday, with the Argentinian set to hold a press conference previewing the Haiti first leg at 2.15pm UK time.
US Soccer president Cindy Cone and chief executive JT Batson were understood to be travelling to the national team’s base in Atlanta on Thursday in the wake of the Pochettino news.
US Soccer is understood to have placed former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola at the top of its wanted list to replace Pochettino, having made several previous attempts to recruit the Spaniard.
Pochettino inherits a United side languishing in 18th place, a start which left United’s bosses feeling they had no choice but to dismiss Carrick.
The official announcement of the Englishman’s exit came on Thursday, but had been an open secret all week.
One early issue for Pochettino to wrestle with could be the future of star United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese is understood to have rejected a second contract offer, as The Athletic first reported, but club insiders view that as a normal part of contract negotiations.
The Red Devils also have an option to extend his deal to the summer of 2028, meaning he would not be free to talk to other clubs in January.
Published: by Radio NewsHub