Mauricio Pochettino interested in Manchester United move, sources say
Mauricio Pochettino is interested in leaving his role as USMNT head coach to take the Manchester United job, multiple sources told the Guardian on 10 November 2026. Those same sources described the interest as mutual as United prepare to move on from Michael Carrick after a disastrous start to their season.
Pochettino’s contract with the United States contains a release clause reported to be in the neighborhood of $10m (£7.5m), multiple sources familiar with the deal said, and that figure would increase if Manchester United chose to retain members of his backroom staff. The fee rises particularly if the club keeps his longtime assistant and confidant Jesús Pérez, who has worked with Pochettino for 16 years. The Athletic first reported the details of Pochettino’s buyout.
Pochettino was appointed by the US in 2024 and led the USMNT to a last-16 finish at the 2026 World Cup, a result described in the article as a disappointment. Following that campaign, US Soccer extended his contract through 2030, with both parties expressing a shared commitment to improving the national team’s fortunes and overhauling the federation’s approach to youth development.
Addressing reporters after his contract renewal, Pochettino said: “Every time we sign a contract, it’s to go to the last day of the contract. If we sign a four-year contract, we need to think to arrive there. And we signed the contract because we really believe that we are going to be four years there. Because if not, it’s bad. If we don’t believe in that process, if we don’t believe in that journey, why sign [for] four years? Only to be sure that we are going to receive a salary at the end of the month? That is not nice. It’s not the way that we think. We really signed that contract because we really believe that we can arrive to the end.”
The article notes Pochettino has been linked with a number of high-profile club openings since arriving in the United States. He tempered his confidence about remaining through 2030 by adding: “In life, nothing is sure. Less in football.”
Manchester United are expected to sack Michael Carrick after the club’s worst opening to a campaign in four decades, a start described as leaving them at risk of relegation. The piece adds that securing Pochettino’s services would not be straightforward or inexpensive for United given the contractual buyout and potential costs tied to his coaching staff.
The USMNT are days away from two Concacaf Nations League matches against Haiti in Cincinnati and Miami, which the article describes as their first competitive fixtures of the 2030 qualifying cycle. Pochettino is scheduled to address reporters on Friday afternoon.