Man Utd confirm Mauricio Pochettino start date after deal agreed to succeed Michael Carrick

Manchester United have appointed Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager. The club confirmed their decision to sack Michael Carrick after just 10 games of the season on Thursday, with the club dwindling in 18th heading into the international break. The Independent reported that contact was made with United States national team (USMNT) manager Pochettino over succeeding Carrick on Monday and the Argentinian, who previously managed Tottenham, Chelsea and Southampton, has now sealed his return to the Premier League. United have paid US Soccer compensation worth an initial $7m (£5.3m) to get Pochettino out of his existing contract, which ran until the 2030 World Cup. Additional compensation will be required for Pochettino’s trusted coaching staff, including long-time assistant Jesus Perez. "The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career,” Pochettino said after his departure and move to Man United was confirmed. “We are so grateful to the players for their commitment, to the fans for their belief, and to the Federation for always supporting our staff and creating the opportunities to impact the culture of soccer in this great country,” Pochettino said. “We want to thank Cindy Parlow Cone, JT Batson and Dan Helfrich for their partnership and incredible working relationships throughout our time here. “There is tremendous talent in the U.S. player pool from the youth teams through to the senior team, and it’s one of the reasons we have so much belief for the future of U.S. Soccer. You will always have a special place in our hearts, and we will be supporting the teams whenever they step on the field." He will remain in charge for the United States’ two Concacaf Nations League fixtures against Haiti during the international break, with an away match on 14 November and a home match in Cincinnati on 18 November. Pochettino will then report to Carrington shortly after, with his official start date being on 18 November, ahead their next Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield on 22 November. While losing Pochettino is blow for the USA, The Independent understands that US Soccer has been prepared for the prospect of his exit at some stage before the 2030 World Cup, with a succession plan already in place. Pochettino arrives at Old Trafford with the club in crisis yet again, having won just once in the Premier League this season, against Ipswich Town, and gained only eight points from the first 10 matches. Mauricio Pochettino will join up with Manchester United after international break (AP) Carrick still held goodwill with the fanbase before his sacking despite the dire run of form, with frustration targeted at the ownership and the board. United bosses nevertheless called time on his reign after the latest round of crisis talks in Monaco this week. Pochettino last managed in the English top-flight during the 2023/24 season, when he guided Chelsea to a sixth-place finish despite spending a lot of the campaign struggling in mid-table. He left by mutual consent at the end of the season. Between his five-year spell at Tottenham - where he led Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019 - and his single term at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino spent 18 months at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the Ligue 1 title in 2021/22. He delivered a run to the last-16 for the USA at this summer’s home World Cup, though his side did not escape controversy after striker Folarin Balogun’s red card was controversially overturned following a call from Donald Trump to Fifa president Gianni Infantino .