The succession is no longer a shortlist. Manchester United have reached a verbal agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino to become their next head coach — a deal that now waits only on the club formally ending Michael Carrick's tenure.
Carrick took training at Carrington on Wednesday morning and, officially, he remains United's head coach. But the direction of travel is set. Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox were in Monaco on Wednesday for the meeting with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe at which Carrick's fate is being decided, and the expectation across multiple reports is that the pair recommend a change, with Carrick likely to be relieved of his duties before the end of the week.
From front of the queue to terms agreed
On Tuesday, Pochettino was the reported leading candidate to replace Carrick. By Wednesday, the story had moved several steps further. Sky Sports reports that a verbal agreement in principle is now in place between United and the 54-year-old Argentine, with Pochettino then expected to be confirmed as Carrick's replacement once the Monaco decision is formalised.
BBC Sport's reporting points the same way: sources have told the BBC that Pochettino wants the job once Carrick's future is clarified, that he is ready to accept a formal offer, and one source says his personal terms are more or less agreed. The Athletic, via David Ornstein, reports United are finalising a deal with Pochettino's camp and that no problems are expected — although, crucially, United had yet to contact US Soccer as of Wednesday morning.
That distinction matters. Nothing has been signed, Carrick has not been sacked, and Pochettino has not resigned from the United States job. What has changed is that United now have their man lined up and, on the reported evidence, he has said yes in principle.
The release clause and the Haiti problem
Pochettino only signed a new United States contract in August, a deal running until after the 2030 World Cup. It contains a release clause reported at around £7 million by Sky Sports and at $10 million (£7.5 million) by BBC Sport — a figure United are not thought to consider an obstacle.
The harder problem is timing. Pochettino is with the USA for their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti, with games on Saturday and again next Wednesday, and Sky Sports reports he could remain in charge for both unless an early release is agreed with the US Soccer Federation. The Independent's Miguel Delaney has reported that Darren Fletcher could step in as interim head coach once again if United cannot conclude the deal quickly — a familiar holding pattern at Old Trafford, and one that underlines how awkward it is to extract a national-team coach in the middle of an international window.
It would be the fourth time United have seriously pursued Pochettino — after Jose Mourinho's departure in 2018, before Erik ten Hag's appointment in 2022, and after Ten Hag's sacking in 2024. This time, with United 18th in the Premier League and with one win from their first 10 league games, the courtship finally looks like ending in an appointment. He would become the club's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
What happens between Monaco and Anfield
The consequences now cascade quickly. First comes the human cost: Carrick, handed a stay of execution after last month's 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth, has taken training all week while his successor was being lined up — and an announcement on his departure could come as early as Thursday. Then comes the football: United's next league match is Liverpool away on Sunday 22 November, which means Pochettino's first game could be at Anfield, Fletcher could be asked to hold the fort there, or Carrick could be sent there knowing the decision has already been made. None of those is a comfortable option.
For Pochettino, the appeal is obvious, and so is the risk. He returns to the Premier League two years after his Chelsea sacking, to a squad in the relegation zone rather than one chasing Europe. His history of improving young players — and of backing African talent, from Victor Wanyama, whom he signed for both Southampton and Tottenham, to Nicolas Jackson's breakthrough season under him at Chelsea — will be tested immediately in a dressing room short on confidence and time.
Beyond the Final Whistle verdict: lining up the successor before sacking the manager is ruthless, but for once it is also competent — United's mistake was not moving for Pochettino, it was letting a club legend twist in the wind while they did it. The agreement in principle tells us the decision has effectively been taken in Monaco; all that remains is whether United announce it like a club with a plan, or let it leak out around the man still taking training. Is Pochettino the manager to pull United out of the relegation zone — or is he walking into the same trap that has caught seven men before him? Have your say in the comments.
