Manchester United close to appointing Pochettino as Carrick's replacement

Manchester United are on the verge of appointing Mauricio Pochettino as head coach after sacking Michael Carrick on Thursday morning, with the club in the final stages of securing a deal that includes a $10 million (£7.4 million) release clause from his contract with US Soccer.

United identified Pochettino as their top target after deciding earlier this week they could no longer continue with Carrick in charge. A high-level meeting in Monaco on Wednesday moved negotiations forward significantly, with an outline agreement now in place between the club and Pochettino’s representatives.

The deal has been described as a “fast-moving” situation, though it has been complicated by the 54-year-old’s immediate international commitments. Pochettino is due to take charge of the United States for their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti during the current international break, with the first leg scheduled for Saturday and the second in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Part of the ongoing discussions with US Soccer centre on whether Pochettino takes charge of those fixtures or is released from his contract to begin work at Old Trafford straight away.

Pochettino is keen to bring his long-serving backroom staff with him to Manchester. Deals for his No.2 Jesús Pérez, assistant coach Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeper coach Antonio Jiménez, and his son and sports scientist Sebastiano Pochettino are among the agreements still to be finalised.

The Argentine has been based at the United States national training centre outside Atlanta this week, preparing for the Haiti tie. He is scheduled to address the media at a pre-match press conference on Friday, at which point greater clarity on his immediate future may emerge.