Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino to become head coach if the club decides to dismiss Michael Carrick.
United chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are expected to meet co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday to discuss the club’s direction and determine Carrick’s future.
According to Sky Sports News, Pochettino has verbally agreed in principle to take charge and is interested in becoming United manager at Old Trafford.
The 54-year-old Argentine recently extended his contract as head coach of the United States national team, keeping him in the role until the 2030 World Cup. United are reportedly willing to pay about £7 million to release him from that agreement.
Pochettino is still expected to oversee the USA’s match against Haiti on Saturday, as things stand.
Carrick, meanwhile, was photographed arriving at United’s Carrington training ground on Wednesday morning as uncertainty over his position continued to grow.
United are currently in the relegation zone and have made their worst start to a season since 1986.
Carrick had been given the chance to change the team’s fortunes after United suffered a 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como and lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth towards the end of last month.
The team then went down 2-0 at Chelsea before recovering to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League.
United’s latest match ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday. They came from two goals behind on two occasions to claim a point.
After the game, Carrick said he was looking forward to the international break and described his plans to maintain the squad’s focus before the next fixture.
“I’m pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there,” he said.
Carrick added that several players would leave to join their national teams, while those remaining at the club would continue training. He also said the squad would have a few days off during the break.
Carrick was first appointed in January on a contract lasting until the end of the 2025-26 season. He was given the permanent position in the summer after leading United to a third-place finish.
