Mauricio Pochettino emerges as favourite to replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United
Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly the favoured candidate to succeed Michael Carrick at Manchester United, with the club ready to dismiss the 45-year-old as alarm grows over their slide into the Premier League relegation zone.
United have won just one of their opening 10 league games, the worst start to a Premier League season in the club's history, and sit a single point off the bottom. It's the first time that United have been in the relegation places after 10 games since 1986.
After alarming losses to Como and Bournemouth, Carrick was given fixtures against Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa to turn things around before the international break. However, a 4-4 draw with Villa at Old Trafford did little to increase confidence.
Various outlets are reporting that change is imminent. United's ownership group are now assessing candidates to replace Carrick with an announcement on his future expected.
Carrick arrived as interim manager in January, secured Champions League qualification and was handed a two-year contract in the summer. His only previous senior managerial experience came at Middlesbrough.
Why Pochettino leads the race
Mauricio Pochettino has now emerged as the frontrunner to replace Carrick. The Argentine has long been admired at Old Trafford, following previous Premier League spells at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. He has been interviewed for the United job three times before.
The 54year-old is currently in charge of the US national team after leading their challenge at a home World Cup in the summer. After taking the United States to the World Cup round of 16, he extended his contract until 2030, with contains a reported buyout of around $10 million.
Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann, both out of work, are also admired at the club, while former coach Kieran McKenna, interviewed in 2024, has supporters. United return to action at Anfield against Liverpool on November 22.
