Pochettino emotional as he leaves USA job to become Manchester United head coach

Mauricio Pochettino said at a USA news conference on Friday that leaving his role as head coach of the United States national team to become Manchester United head coach was "one of the most difficult" decisions of his career, after being announced as Michael Carrick's successor at Old Trafford on Friday.

Sources told BBC Sport Pochettino has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester United, with the club paying a release clause in the region of £7.4m and making an additional payment for his backroom staff; the 54-year-old had signed a new four-year deal with the USA in the summer. He broke down in tears during his first news conference after the move was confirmed and thanked the US Soccer Federation, saying, "It's difficult to talk now," "I'm a very emotional guy. It's a very sad decision." and "But we are professionals and we are trying to make our dreams come true."

When asked why he accepted United's offer after recently renewing with the national side, Pochettino said the Old Trafford opportunity was too significant to refuse: "I never said I wanted to go back but they know there aren't too many opportunities that happen in your career like Manchester United," adding, "When it arrives, it's difficult to turn down."

Michael Carrick was sacked on Thursday after what the club described as their worst start to a domestic campaign in 40 years, leaving Manchester United 18th in the Premier League. Pochettino will inherit a side that have won just once in 10 league matches this season and sit one point above bottom-placed Sunderland.

Pochettino's appointment follows a long-standing interest from Manchester United that the article describes as a decade-long courtship: he enjoyed an 18-month spell at Southampton that culminated in an eighth-place finish in his only full season, and his reputation grew after his 2014 move to Tottenham, where he led the club into the top four four times in five full seasons, a significant change after Tottenham had finished in the top four just twice in the previous 22 years.

United's interest dated back to Pochettino's early years at Tottenham; he dined with Sir Alex Ferguson in Mayfair just weeks before Louis van Gaal was sacked, but the club appointed Jose Mourinho. Pochettino was again overlooked when Mourinho left in 2018 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having impressed as interim, was given the job more permanently.

The managerial shortlist at United continued to evolve: in 2022 the choice was reportedly between Pochettino and Erik ten Hag, with the board opting for the Dutchman, who had led Ajax to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals when they were beaten by Pochettino's Tottenham. Pochettino was interviewed by United again in 2024 following his exit from Chelsea, but the board appointed Ruben Amorim from Sporting to replace Ten Hag.

Carrick, who had signed a two-year deal with the club in May, released a social media statement thanking United's fans. He wrote, "Dear United fans, I've had the immense privilege of leading Manchester United, the football club that I love," and added, "There are very few who get to live that and feel it, and for that I'm incredibly grateful. "With that comes huge responsibility, and to be at Manchester United, you need to understand exactly what that means. "It's different to anywhere else." In a wider post he reflected on the club's culture and values: "Ultimately, you need to push to be the best, but there is a culture, there are values and there are behaviours that you have to live by and respect, which have been built over a long period of time," and wrote, "It's a football club that is unique, with substance and history that cannot be ignored. "This is what inspired me every single day."

United have said Pochettino was the only coach they spoke to directly about the role; Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte were mentioned as possibles in the aftermath of a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth three weeks ago. The club has privately described any claim of a split between the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe as "categorically false." A reporter noted a previously described mechanism by which the Glazer family could take back control of the football operation from Ratcliffe, and added there has been no Stock Exchange statement that such a change has occurred, while recording that Ratcliffe was said to have been handed control by the board when he agreed to buy into United in December 2023. Fans have criticised the club's running, with sporting director Jason Wilcox blamed by many despite the budget being set higher up; United officials are keen to stress unanimity while the club sit 18th and have sacked three managers in three seasons — "It is one to keep an eye on."

Pochettino will depart for Manchester after leading the United States in matches against Haiti on 14 and 18 November, and his first match in charge of Manchester United will be an away fixture against Liverpool on 22 November.