Manchester United appointed U.S. men’s national team boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new men’s head coach on Friday, November 13, 2026, paying a $10 million buyout to the U.S. Soccer Federation to replace the dismissed Michael Carrick. The 54-year-old Argentine signed a two-and-a-half-year contract running through the summer of 2029, according to The Guardian and Sky Sports, and will officially take charge at Old Trafford on Wednesday, November 18.
In an official club statement, Manchester United confirmed they reached an agreement with U.S. Soccer for Pochettino and his coaching staff to be released once they finish the current international window. Pochettino will stay on the touchline for the USMNT across their two Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti on November 14 and November 17 before flying to England. “The Argentinian is renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players,” the club stated.
Pochettino steps straight into a Premier League relegation battle. Manchester United sacked Carrick on Thursday after winning just one of their opening 10 Premier League matches of the 2026-27 season and three of 15 games across all competitions, alongside a 2-2 record in the UEFA Champions League. That slump left United in 18th place in the league table, inside the relegation zone and only one point clear of bottom side Crystal Palace.
Why the hiring cost Manchester United $10 million
Bringing Pochettino to Old Trafford required an eight-figure payout because of United’s own contract decisions earlier this year. As Mark Ogden noted in an ESPN column on Friday, the club could have hired Pochettino for free after the 2026 FIFA World Cup had they not given Carrick a two-year deal at the end of last season after Carrick guided United to a third-place league finish and Champions League qualification. Instead, Pochettino signed a four-year contract extension with U.S. Soccer in August 2026, forcing United to pay his $10 million compensation fee three months later.
Manchester United formally contacted U.S. Soccer on Wednesday, one day before firing Carrick. Despite previous interest in former Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, The Guardian reported that Pochettino was the only candidate United held talks with to fill the vacancy. According to AFP reports cited by The Guardian, Pochettino is expected to bring assistants Jesús Pérez and Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jiménez, his son Sebastiano Pochettino, and SÃlvia Tuyà with him to Manchester.
How Pochettino and U.S. Soccer reacted to the exit
Speaking at an emotional U.S. Soccer press conference on Friday, Pochettino admitted that walking away from the American national team ahead of the Haiti ties weighed heavily on him. “I want to thank the fans for the support, for everything. And of course, always, it was a tough moment. Like I said before, it’s a really tough decision. But at the same time, we are excited for that step forward,” Pochettino told reporters.
In his farewell statement published by U.S. Soccer, Pochettino praised the American player pool and federation leadership after taking the job in September 2024, leading the host nation to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and handing debuts to teenagers Mathis Albert, Julian Hall, and Cavan Sullivan. “The opportunity to represent the USA crest was one of the greatest honors of my career,” 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.”
U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson credited Pochettino with overhauling the national team pipeline during his two-year tenure. “He and his staff raised standards, strengthened our culture and created clearer connections from the Youth National Teams to the senior team,” Batson said. MLSsoccer.com reported that Batson, COO Dan Helfrich, U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes, and assistant sporting director Oguchi Onyewu will lead the search for the next USMNT head coach. Back in England, Carrick posted a farewell message on Instagram on Friday thanking supporters and saying he wanted “nothing but success for Manchester United” following his departure.
What awaits Pochettino at Old Trafford
Before taking the United States job, Pochettino began his coaching career at Espanyol in 2009 and led Southampton to a club-record Premier League points total in 2014. He then guided Tottenham Hotspur to four consecutive Champions League qualifications and the 2019 final, won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions at Paris Saint-Germain, and coached Chelsea during the 2023-24 campaign. As ESPN’s Ogden pointed out, Manchester United previously overlooked Pochettino three times since 2016, first hiring José Mourinho in 2016 and later turning to Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim, and Carrick after Mourinho left in December 2018.
Ogden wrote that Pochettino gives United their first manager with proven Premier League and Champions League pedigree since Mourinho, having coached elite players including Harry Kane, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé. Still, tight club finances will severely limit United’s spending power in the January transfer window amid ongoing fan anger toward co-owners the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group. Pochettino also inherits a squad assembled by six different managers, dating back to defender Luke Shaw, whom Pochettino coached at Southampton before Louis van Gaal signed him in 2014. After completing his USMNT duties against Haiti on November 17, Pochettino will start work at Manchester United on November 18, lead his first training session on Thursday, November 19, and manage his first match away against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, November 22.