When will Mauricio Pochettino take charge of Manchester United?
Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United manager just three months into the new season with the club sitting 18th in the Premier League table.
The Old Trafford hierarchy pulled the trigger on Carrick’s departure on Thursday morning after three days of speculation following a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa which proved to be Carrick’s final match in charge.
Thoughts now turn to Carrick’s replacement with former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino the odds on favourite to take over.
Pochettino is the current manager of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) but has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Man United to sign of as their new head coach. Should his appointment be confirmed when will Pochettino officially begin his tenure?
Man United’s next match comes on Sunday 22 November when they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool. It will arguably be the most difficult start possible for whoever takes over and it is a game United need to take something from or else they risk dropping further into the relegation zone.
The current international break would usually provide a new manager with time to train and see the squad in action but Pochettino, should he be given the job, is unlikely to have such a luxury.
That is because the United States have two Nations League matches to play on November 14 and 18 during this window and Pochettino is likely to oversee both fixtures.
The Argentine is still contracted to US Soccer until the 2030 World Cup though an early departure from his deal feels increasingly likely. United have made contact with US Soccer over paying compensation to release Pochettino with rumoured figures reaching as high a $10m (£7.4m).
Should an agreement be made, Pochettino could, in theory, leave the US before the scheduled games against Haiti in order to spend time with Man United’s squad ahead of the crucial clash at Anfield.
In that case he could arrive at Carrington either the same day or a day after being formally announced as the new head coach. That would give him a maximum of nine days to prepare the team if his appointment is confirmed today (Thursday 12 November).
The more likelier option is that Pochettino leads the USMNT for their two fixtures with Haiti and reports to Carrington shortly afterwards.
In that case, he could be in post at Man United as early as Wednesday 18 November though given the time difference between the US and the UK, Pochettino would arrive late in the afternoon or early evening.
Even so, that would give him three full days, Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 to settle into his new environment and have time on the grass with the squad.
Whether three days will be enough for the Argentine to inspire a new manager bounce out of United’s playing group remains to be seen.
