Manchester United Appoint Mauricio Pochettino New Head Coach

By Dipo Olowookere

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Mr Mauricio Pochettino, has been appointed as the new head coach of Manchester United.

He is expected to leave his current team, the United States of America (USA) men’s senior football team, to take charge of the English club from Wednesday, November 18, 2026.

He replaces Mr Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday after a poor start to the new season, which kicked off in August 2026.

In 2021, the Argentine joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he won the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions before joining Chelsea in 2023.

He was later chosen to coach the US Men’s National Team, and led The Stars and Stripes to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the trio of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

A statement from Manchester United said an agreement was reached with “the US Soccer Federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the US Men’s National Team.”

Club football in Europe and other continents is mostly on hold at the moment for an international break, with actions expected to resume next week.

Pochettino’s first game as United coach would be a league match against Liverpool on Sunday, November 22, 2026, at Anfield at 5:30 pm Nigerian time.

He will make efforts to take the team out of the current relegation zone, as the Old Trafford team sits 18th on the league table with 8 points from 10 games.

Today’s club statement said Pochettino was favoured for the position because of “his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players.”

“Pochettino has consistently performed at the highest level of football across multiple leagues. He began his coaching career with Espanyol in 2009 before joining Southampton and achieving a club-record Premier League points tally in 2014,” it added.

During five full seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino established the club as regular UEFA Champions League contenders, securing qualification in four consecutive seasons and leading the club to its first final in the competition in 2019.