Manchester United face £14m bill to appoint Pochettino and sack Carrick

Manchester United are set to absorb a combined cost of just under £14m as they move to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as head coach following Thursday’s dismissal of Michael Carrick.

The club must pay approximately £7.4m in compensation to the United States Soccer Federation to release Pochettino from a contract that runs until 2030, with a further £1.5m required to bring his backroom staff across. Terminating Carrick’s deal and that of his coaching team will cost the club a further £5m, according to the Telegraph.

United were alerted to the existence of a release clause in Pochettino’s US contract by the Argentine’s own representatives, according to ESPN — a disclosure that accelerated the club’s pursuit. The same report indicates United expect Pochettino to arrive at their Carrington training base on 18 November, a timeline that would allow him to oversee both legs of the United States’ CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Haiti before taking up his new role.

Pochettino, 54, signed a four-year contract extension with the US after guiding them to the World Cup round of 16, where they were eliminated by Belgium. He now appears set to leave that role less than 12 months into the renewed agreement.

Carrick, 45, was informed of his dismissal in person at Carrington after senior club officials met in Monaco the previous day. A club statement confirmed his exit, noting that he had joined in January and led United to a third-placed Premier League finish by winning 12 of his final 17 league games in the 2025/26 season — the highest points tally in the division during that period.

“After a disappointing start to the season, the club has come to the extremely difficult conclusion that a change is necessary,” the statement read.

Carrick becomes the latest in a long line of managers to have been relieved of their duties at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement 13 years ago — a cycle that has cost the club a considerable sum in compensation and severance with each successive change.