A historic event: a woman joins Manchester United's coaching staff

Manchester United are preparing for an unprecedented move in the formation of their coaching staff, coinciding with the arrival of Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino to take charge of the team.

According to a report by Portugal's A Bola, citing British newspaper The Guardian, Spanish specialist Silvia Tuya Viñas will follow coach Pochettino into his new role alongside four other members of the United States national team's technical staff. She becomes the first woman in Manchester United's century-plus history to work within the team's backroom staff.

Joining Tuya in the Red Devils' new technical setup are assistant coach Jesús Pérez, Miguel D'Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jiménez and Sebastiano Pochettino, the coach's son and a sports science specialist. All have worked with Pochettino for years, and all are expected to continue as part of his support staff at Manchester United.

The United States Football Federation confirmed the end of the association between Pochettino and his technical staff with the national team, clearing the way for their move to the English club. The Argentine coach begins his duties at Manchester United on 18 November.

His first test comes against Liverpool. Manchester United visit Anfield on 22 November, an eagerly awaited encounter and a daunting one to open his Premier League journey.

Tuya is 46 and holds a doctorate in sports science. She has lectured at the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia and at the University of Barcelona, blending academic work with a specialism in physical preparation.

At club level, the Spaniard handled physical preparation for Levante's women's team in Spain's women's top flight, known as "Liga F". She knows the demands of conditioning players at the highest level of Spanish women's football.

She joined the United States national team's technical staff in October 2024, during Pochettino's tenure as national team coach, becoming the first woman officially registered within the backroom staff of the American men's national team.

Manchester United had sacked former manager Michael Carrick after a disastrous start to the season. The team managed just one win in ten rounds since the start of the Premier League, dropping the Red Devils to 18th place, the first of the relegation spots, on 8 points. In the Champions League, they sit 17th in the league phase on 6 points after two wins and two defeats.

United opened their campaign with a convincing 4-0 win over Azerbaijan's Qarabağ, then lost 0-2 to Atlético Madrid and 1-4 to Como before snatching a crucial 3-2 win over Roma in the fourth round. They sit just two points ahead of 25th, the last safe position to remain in the competition. Sporting Lisbon await on 25 November, followed by decisive encounters with Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Villarreal. Securing qualification will be a brutal task for Pochettino.