Mauricio Pochettino is close to leaving the United States men’s national team for Manchester United, according to reports that say the Premier League club is preparing to hire him as its next head coach. The Athletic reported that United have contacted U.S. Soccer to declare their plans and discuss the exit fee in Pochettino’s contract, which runs through the 2030 World Cup. The move would end a tenure that began in September 2024 and took the United States to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino and the Manchester United talks
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that negotiations between Mauricio Pochettino and Manchester United are moving forward and going very well, and that the club’s directors are waiting for a final green light. Pochettino is said to be open to taking the job immediately. United would replace Michael Carrick, who is expected to be sacked, and the club would trigger a $10 million release clause in Pochettino’s contract with U.S. Soccer. United would also have to pay U.S. Soccer if they want to bring in Pochettino’s assistants. United sit 18th in the 20-team Premier League table on eight points, and the club have not been relegated since 1974.
Mauricio Pochettino signed his current deal on August 3, agreeing to a four-year extension that runs through the 2030 World Cup after he led the team at the 2026 tournament. The extension came with a reported $10 million release clause that lets him talk to a major European club, a clause U.S. Soccer directors are said to have built into the deal knowing his standing in the game. His new contract was financed in part by contributions from billionaire Ken Griffin.
What Mauricio Pochettino would leave behind
Mauricio Pochettino led the United States at the 2026 World Cup and holds a record of 21 wins, one draw and 13 defeats in 35 games in charge. He was hired in September 2024 to revive the national team, and he agreed to be heavily involved in the federation’s youth development work as part of his new contract. Losing him now would halt that work before it had properly begun, particularly at the lower youth levels, and it would leave the team without a succession plan.
The timing is awkward for U.S. Soccer. The United States face Haiti in a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal, with the first leg on November 14 in Miami and the second on November 17 in Cincinnati. Mauricio Pochettino is still expected to take charge of both matches, according to reports, and he was present at training on Wednesday. United need a replacement in place before their next Premier League match, against Liverpool on November 22, which could speed up the process.
Mauricio Pochettino and the road back to England
Mauricio Pochettino, 54, is from Argentina and would be leading his fourth Premier League club if the move goes through. He made his Premier League debut with Southampton in 2013-14, then managed Tottenham Hotspur from 2014 to 2019, spent 18 months with Paris Saint-Germain and managed Chelsea in the 2023-24 season, guiding them to a sixth-place finish before a mutual parting. He has never hidden his wish to return to club management in England.
Before the World Cup, Pochettino was open about missing the Premier League. In an interview with the BBC in December, he said the Premier League was the best in the world and that he missed it, while adding that he was happy in the United States and always thinking about returning one day. In the weeks before the World Cup, he did not deny that his representatives had met with AC Milan about their managerial vacancy.
If Mauricio Pochettino leaves, U.S. Soccer will have to find a replacement at short notice, and Pep Guardiola has been discussed internally as a candidate, according to reports. Other names put forward include B.J. Callaghan of Nashville SC, Julian Nagelsmann and Steve Cherundolo, who coaches the under-23 team. Whoever takes the job would inherit a team that had been building toward the 2030 World Cup under a coach who had agreed to stay for the full cycle.
Web story: Pochettino Nears Manchester United Job, Reports Say