Mauricio Pochettino is edging ever closer to being named Manchester United’s new manager, as the club’s top bosses prepare to make a final call on Michael Carrick’s future. Carrick has struggled desperately since taking charge, with United trapped near the bottom of the Premier League table and picking up just one league win from their opening ten matches, leaving the Old Trafford hierarchy seriously considering a change. Pochettino, currently head coach of the United States men’s national team, has long been a target for Manchester United, and talks between the club and the Argentine’s representatives are now understood to be well advanced. While a buyout fee of around £7 million would be required to release him from his USA contract, that cost is not seen as a barrier by United’s leadership. Key figures including CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox are set to meet Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco to sign off on the plans, with an official announcement potentially coming as early as Thursday. Pochettino brings plenty of Premier League experience from previous spells at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and many fans believe he could bring the stability and winning mentality that Manchester United have been searching for in recent years.
