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Mauricio Pochettino is set to be the next Manchester United boss but it’s an appointment that has been 10 years in the making. A new report outlines several near-misses for Pochettino in landing a job he has long coveted, with the stars never quite aligning.
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Michael Carrick is set to lose his job as a result of United’s awful form this season, and Pochettino has been chosen as the man to replace him.
An agreement is in place between United and Pochettino’s camp. The Red Devils have also approached the USMNT to officially kick off the process to pay the compensation fee for him and his staff.
According to The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, United first considered appointing Pochettino in 2016, and this scenario recurred on several occasions over the years, with various factors combining to prevent the appointment from being finalised.
Sir Alex date
Pochettino has consistently been forthcoming about his admiration for the legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, with the Scot also known to hold him in high regard.
The pair famously enjoyed dinner together in 2016. The Athletic reveal that Sir Alex was heavily backing Pochettino to replace Louis van Gaal, who was on the ropes at the time. Sir Alex was in favour of United hiring Pochettino, who was in charge of Tottenham at the time and was battling Leicester City for the Premier League title.
Whitwell writes that Pochettino was keen on the opportunity and had a release clause in his contract. But co-owner Avram Glazer got in the way, opting for Jose Mourinho, whom he considered a proven winner.
Mourinho replacement
Despite leading United to Carabao Cup triumph and the Europa League, Mourinho’s stint descended into a toxic mess and he was dismissed in December 2018.
As United scoured the market for potential replacements, Pochettino was considered again. He was also on the radar of La Liga champions Real Madrid, who were preparing for life after Zinedine Zidane.
The Athletic note, “Pochettino’s name came up then again, but he had signed a new Tottenham contract in May that removed any exit clauses and, due to his loyalty to Tottenham and Levy, he vowed never to agitate.”
“Real Madrid came in for him two weeks after he signed that upgraded Spurs deal, when looking for a successor to Zinedine Zidane, but he refused their request to ask to leave.”
Ex-United chief Ed Woodward was enamoured by Pochettino, having met him. Pochettino was then sacked by Tottenham in 2019 but the positive momentum under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer worked against him. He was overlooked for a third time.
Pochettino vs. Erik ten Hag
Whitwell says that Pochettino came closest to getting the United hot seat in 2022, while he was at Paris Saint-Germain. He was shortlisted after being interviewed by chief executive Richard Arnold, football director John Murtough, and even Joel Glazer.
Darren Fletcher, now in charge of United’s Under-18s, was also part of the process.
United eventually went with Ten Hag. The club believed that Ten Hag’s attractive brand of football and the support he enjoyed from the fans made him the outstanding candidate.
The 20-time English champions were also not looking forward to negotiations with PSG, who had extended Pochettino’s contract when Madrid started sniffing around him. The Argentine would have commanded a high compensation fee.
Ten Hag replacement
When Ten Hag found himself on the verge of being sacked after the 2024 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, Pochettino was interviewed once more.
But he did not progress to the final round, which pitted Roberto De Zerbi against Thomas Tuchel.
Whitwell writes, “Pochettino did not give the best version of himself at that time, worn down by the difficult working conditions at PSG and Chelsea.”
“He experienced major player factions at PSG and had issues guiding Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, while at Chelsea he experienced the start of the breakdown in relations between co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.”
United performed a dramatic U-turn and kept Ten Hag. The decision backfired as the Dutchman started the next campaign dreadfully, eventually being let go in November 2024. Another swoop for Pochettino was lined up and he had support from Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada.
However, he was passed over, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe having been swept away by Ruben Amorim.
Now, however, Pochettino’s time has come, and the union that has been postponed on so many occasions will finally take place. Whitwell says about Pochettino’s current frame of mind, “Multiple sources say he is completely reinvigorated from his spell in charge of the United States, who made a strong impression at the World Cup before exiting badly to Belgium amid the Folarin Balogun episode.”
United return to action on November 22 when they face Liverpool at Anfield.