USMNT cancel media access as Man United eye Mauricio Pochettino swoop
Media duties scheduled for Wednesday have been cancelled by the United States as Manchester United prepare to make a move for their head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
It is understood that plans are underway at United to appoint the Argentinian should current head coach Michael Carrick, as expected, be dismissed, with the club currently sitting in the relegation zone after their worst start to a season since 1986.
Pochettino is understood to be keen on the Old Trafford post, having previously been linked with the vacancy on prior occasions when it became available.
US Soccer confirmed that planned player media access on Wednesday was called off in observance of Veterans Day, removing any opportunity for Pochettino’s squad to be asked about reports regarding his prospective departure.
The former Tottenham, Paris St Germain and Chelsea boss signed a contract extension to stay on as USMNT head coach until the 2030 World Cup only three months ago, meaning US Soccer would be owed compensation if he agrees to join United.
Despite the growing uncertainty surrounding his future, the Englishman arrived for training as normal at United’s Carrington complex on Wednesday morning.
He left Carrington on Wednesday afternoon with no announcement on his future having been made. Carrick’s position was discussed by chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox in a meeting in Monaco with United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday.
A 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como and a 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth had left Carrick’s position under severe threat, but the board chose to grant him the opportunity to turn things around.
Carrick’s side subsequently suffered a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, where they failed to take their chances and had Lisandro Martinez sent off, prior to last Tuesday’s thrilling 3-2 Champions League comeback win over Roma.
An extraordinary 4-4 draw against Aston Villa followed on Sunday, after which the head coach maintained he would not resign and was planning for the international break as usual.
"I’m pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there," Carrick said.
"Obviously some of the boys will be flying off around the world and different things, and the group will be split for 10 days or so.
"But as a normal international week is, you know, we’ll have some training. We’ll have one or two days off, but not too much. But we’ll train, and we’ll get ready for the next game."
United return to action with a Premier League trip to rivals Liverpool on November 22, a fixture they could enter with Pochettino in the dugout.
Pochettino has spoken with United regarding the post several times over the years, including in 2022 when the club chose to hire Erik ten Hag instead.
There is deep mutual respect between Pochettino and former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The pair have met on numerous occasions, with Ferguson known to have been greatly impressed by his Southampton team in 2013.
Pochettino has also spoken about watching the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona, where Ferguson’s United side sealed the treble.
