Mauricio Pochettino’s Man Utd start date is now set: the Argentine will take charge at Old Trafford next Thursday, 19 November, with his first training session at Carrington on Friday — giving him just two sessions with his players before the trip to Liverpool on Sunday, 22 November.
Pochettino has agreed an initial two-and-a-half-year contract to become Manchester United’s new manager, running until the summer of 2029, after the club finalised terms with both the United States Soccer Federation and the 54-year-old himself. TEAMtalk reports that his salary will be in excess of the £5 million-a-year deal predecessor Michael Carrick was on, that he will bring four backroom staff with him to Manchester, and that the overall cost of the deal will be in excess of £10 million, including £7.5 million in compensation to US Soccer.
The timing is deliberate. Pochettino was keen to ensure he could remain in position for the United States’ two international fixtures this week before completing his departure, and United agreed to accommodate his request. The USA face Haiti in a Nations League double-header, with the first meeting in Jamaica on Saturday before the return fixture in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Once the second game is completed, Pochettino will head to England to begin his new chapter at Old Trafford.
Pochettino Man Utd start date: two sessions before Anfield
He is expected to take his first training session on Friday, having officially taken up his role the previous day, giving him an immediate opportunity to work with his new squad before the weekend’s Premier League showdown at Anfield. The timing is significant, with United facing one of their biggest fixtures of the season against Liverpool and the club keen to have their new manager in place for the occasion.
And while he will, effectively, have just two training sessions with his players and some team meetings ahead of the game, he was keen to make it clear he wanted to be in the dugout for the mouthwatering showdown at Anfield, which he hopes will kick off a bright new era for the Red Devils.
United made their decisive move over the weekend after owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family approved the appointment recommended by director of football Jason Wilcox. Eddie Howe was prominent in United’s thinking during the search, but TEAMtalk reports the situation changed once the club became aware of Pochettino’s interest and his willingness to walk away from the United States job. From that point, the former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss emerged as the leading candidate, with his availability and desire to take the Old Trafford role proving decisive.
Why Pochettino said yes to Man Utd
Fabrizio Romano has revealed why Pochettino said yes to replacing Carrick, and the reasoning is strikingly simple. “He [Poch] keeps saying to those close to him. I can’t say no to Man United. He believes the club is something different,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “Mauricio Pochettino wants to achieve big things at #MUFC. He is 100% convinced he can be the right man for the future.”
Romano confirmed on Thursday evening that the deal is done, with a green light from the US Federation after Pochettino agreed all terms on Wednesday. The appointment makes him United’s eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and the fourth permanent boss since Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased his minority stake in the club in 2024.
Pochettino, who is set to hold a pre-match press conference as USA boss on Friday, will be formally announced by United today, with the club having said a permanent successor to Carrick would be appointed “as quickly as possible” after confirming the club legend’s departure on Thursday morning.
Neville’s warning: changing the manager is not the answer
Not everyone is convinced the appointment alone fixes United. Club legend Gary Neville, who earlier told Pochettino to demand two defenders in January or not take the job, warned on NBC that sacking Carrick will not change anything on its own.
“You can keep changing the manager and thinking that’s going to be the answer. But this has been proven now over 12 years, that’s not the answer,” Neville said. “It’s rinse and repeat. Ruben Amorim, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Carrick, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes, Ralf Rangnick — some of them are world-class managers who have had success. None of it has worked because if you’ve got a poor performance department, poor recruitment department, you’ve not got leadership that is strong right through the spine of the football club, you will fail.”
Carrick departed with United in the Premier League relegation zone, having won just one league game all season — the worst start in 40 years. Pochettino inherits a squad short on confidence and, with the January window approaching, a recruitment department under intense scrutiny. His first test could hardly be bigger: a trip to Anfield, against the league leaders, with two training sessions to prepare. For more on the weekend’s football, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits) — collage by SportsBuddy
