Glazers overrule Ineos to push Pochettino as Manchester United's next manager

The Glazer family have overruled Manchester United’s football leadership to back Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s next head coach, according to reports, following the sacking of Michael Carrick on Thursday. United sit 18th in the Premier League with just one win from ten matches.

While United have reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Pochettino, the path to his appointment has been complicated by internal disagreement. Director of football Jason Wilcox had identified Eddie Howe — out of work since leaving Newcastle United this summer — as his primary target, while director of recruitment Christopher Vivell favoured Julian Nagelsmann. The Glazers, as majority shareholders with ultimate decision-making authority, are said to have stepped in to back Pochettino instead. United, for their part, deny that Pochettino is a direct Glazer appointee.

Securing the 54-year-old will not come cheap. Pochettino is under contract with the United States men’s national team until 2030, meaning United must pay approximately £7.4 million to release him from that agreement. A further £1.5 million is expected to be needed to bring his current coaching staff to Manchester. Combined with a severance package for Carrick estimated at around £3 million, the managerial transition is set to cost the club in excess of £11 million before a ball is kicked.

Pochettino is not expected to arrive at United’s Carrington training base until Thursday, 19 November at the earliest, due to his ongoing commitments with the USMNT. The United States are currently preparing for the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League, where they face Haiti, and Pochettino is understood to be honouring those obligations before making the move to Old Trafford.

The Argentine, who previously managed Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea among others, inherits a squad in serious difficulty. United’s single Premier League win from their opening ten games represents one of the worst starts in the club’s modern history, and Pochettino will face immediate pressure to arrest the slide.